The Saleen S7 is a limited-production, hand-built, high-performance American Super Car developed
jointly by Steve Saleen for the initial concept and direction, Hidden Creek Industries for
resources and initial funding, Phil Frank for the body and interior CAD design and development,
and Ray Mallock Ltd. for the chassis engineering. It was the only car produced by Saleen not
based on an existing chassis., and became America's first production supercar. The S7
debuted on August 19, 2000 at the Monterey Historic Races. The all-aluminum 427 is remarkably
tractable and flexible for such a high-output unit—550 hp at 6400 rpm. In 2005, the S7
gained a more powerful twin-turbo powerplant that boosted engine power to 750 horsepower
and the top speed 248 mph.
S7 Exterior
The body of the car, made entirely from carbon fiber, incorporates the use of scoops, spoilers,
and other aerodynamic features to create split-channel airflow throughout the car, and at 160 miles
per hour, the car creates its own weight in downforce.
Interior The interior of the Saleen S7 was designed
to be both luxurious and functional. Leather appears throughout the cabin, with aluminum
accents, and the S7 comes with a set of custom-fit luggage. Because of the car's mid-engine layout,
it has two trunks, front and rear. Other features include an LCD monitor, rear-view camera,
quick-release steering-wheel and a 240 mile per hour speedometer. The cabin is of an asymmetrical
layout, with the custom-fitted driver's seat positioned toward the center both to improve
the driver's visibility and center his or her weight in the vehicle.
Chassis The chassis comprises a space frame-derived
design consisting 4130 lightweight steel and aluminum honeycomb composite reinforcing panels.
It is divided into bolt-fastened sub-assemblies to allow for rapid access to critical subsystems.
The light weight of the chassis allows for the car to weigh a mere 2750 pounds.
Performance The original naturally aspirated version of
the S7 can accelerate from 0–60 miles per hour in an estimated 3.3 seconds, and to 100 miles
per hour in an estimated 7.1 seconds. It can complete a standing quarter mile in an estimated
11.35 seconds, reaching 128 miles per hour. Top speed was an estimated 220 mph.
Electrical system The first few production Saleen S7 electrical
systems were designed and hand-built by Jimmy Rodriguez. Standard electronics include: Power
windows, locks, remote control operated doors, hood, trunk, and engine compartment openers,
electronic power steering with redundant safety circuits, 110 volt inlet for maintaining vehicle
battery, electronic heated front window, electronic fuel pump shut off upon crash impact, rearview
camera system with in-dash flip-up monitor, and navigation. Electrical wire harnesses
are manufactured with the highest quality materials. Teflon-coated tinned military specification
wire, cannon plugs, gold plated pins and sockets were used for the connectors, and wire harnesses
were wrapped with a high-temperature glass mesh under a woven Kevlar outer skin.
S7 Twin Turbo The Saleen S7 Twin Turbo was an updated revision
of the original S7. Although the initial concept for the S7 incorporated twin-turbochargers,
they were not used on the production car. The twin-turbocharged version later developed
in 2005 went on sale for $585,296 USD, replacing standard S7 production.
Changes The engine was upgraded with two Garrett turbochargers
producing 5.5 psi of boost, increasing the maximum power to 750 horsepower at 6300 rpm,
and the maximum torque to 700 lb·ft at 4800 rpm. The front and rear diffusers and the
rear spoiler were also reworked to increase downforce by 60%.
Performance 0–60 mph: 2.8 sec
0–100 mph: 5.9 sec 0–200 mph: 27 sec
Quarter-mile: 10.5 sec Top speed: 248 mph
Competition package In 2006, Saleen offered an optional competition
package for the S7 Twin Turbo. The package offers a 33% increase in power, to a total
of an approximate 1000 horsepower, as well as changes to the suspension, a revised front
and rear diffuser, and an optional aerodynamic package with carbon fiber front and rear spoilers.
S7R The Saleen S7R is a racing version of the
standard, naturally aspirated S7, produced from 2000 to 2007. It was designed to compete
in grand tourer–style motorsports series and events such as the American Le Mans Series,
FIA GT Championship, and 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ray Mallock Ltd. assembled the first few S7-Rs
under the supervision of Saleen's engineering team in their workshops in Britain, before
Saleen assumed all S7-R assembly with the French Oreca squad executing final outfitting
in 2006. A total of fourteen S7Rs were completed to race-ready condition. Seven additional
S7Rs were assembled to a level of completeness requiring the assignment of Vehicle Identification
Numbers; however, these chassis were never outfitted into complete vehicles.
Racing history The first S7-R assembled by RML was completed
in late 2000, then immediately shipped to the United States to make its debut in the
American Le Mans Series event at Laguna Seca Raceway. Run by Saleen-Allen Speedlab, the
car finished in 26th place. For 2001, the first customer chassis would be completed,
and their respective teams would enter various championships: Fordahl Motorsports ran in
the Grand American Road Racing Championship, RML ran the European Le Mans Series, and Konrad
Motorsport ran both ALMS and ELMS. This car with chassis number 001 was named Christine
by Saleen engineers. The S7-R quickly showed its capabilities,
when Konrad finished in sixth place at the 12 Hours of Sebring, earning their first class
victory. Fordahl won seven Grand American events en route to finishing second in the
class championship, while RML won four ELMS events and won that championship by a mere
point over the Konrad Saleens. Saleen-Allen Speedlab also earned a podium finish at the
24 Hours of Le Mans with an 18th place finish overall.
For 2002, Konrad Motorsport concentrated mostly on the American Le Mans Series, while Park
Place Racing took over Fordahl's entry in Grand American. Newcomer Graham Nash Motorsport
won both the British GT and Spanish GT Championships. Park Place won four races and earned their
first championship title, while Graham Nash won nine British GT and four Spanish GT races,
earning them the title in both series. Konrad Motorsport however struggled against the faster,
higher-budget Corvette Racing team and could not score any victories, but were able to
finish second in the championship. Konrad Motorsport chose to move their Saleen
squad to Europe in order to compete in the FIA GT Championship in 2003, leaving North
America without a full-season competitor for the S7-R as Park Place abandoned the Grand
American championship. Graham Nash joined Konrad in FIA GT, earning a sixth place finish
in the championship. For 2004, Saleen would have a resurgence of teams as RML returned
to run FIA GT, Dominique Dupuy's DDO team entered the FFSA GT Championship, Konrad assisted
the new Vitaphone Racing, and ACEMCO Motorsports purchased two brand-new S7-Rs, modified to
better compete in the American Le Mans Series. Vitaphone earned three victories in FIA GT
en route to a fourth place in the championship, while DDO earned two victories in FFSA GT.
Fortunes would quickly turn for the S7-Rs in the 2005 season. Konrad and Graham Nash
saw their racing efforts downsized as the teams hit economic problems. Vitaphone Racing
moved on from the S7-R and raced a Maserati MC12 to the FIA GT championship. This left
ACEMCO to take second in the American Le Mans Series, while DDO earned the only Saleen wins
that year with three. In an attempt to rebound from 2005, Saleen
chose to concentrate on select series and events. ACEMCO dropped out from the American
Le Mans Series in order to concentrate solely on entering the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans where
they earned an 11th place finish, the best ever by a Saleen at the time. Oreca was chosen
to prepare new S7-R chassis with upgrades under the supervision of Saleen engineers
William Tally, Derk Hartland, Randall Speir, Matthew W. Wright and William Kreig to make
them more competitive, which led to the team earning two victories in the Le Mans Series
and winning the 2006 FFSA GT Championship. In FIA GT, Zakspeed took over as the factory
squad with Balfe Racing running as a privateer. Zakspeed managed to earn two victories and
earn themselves fourth in the championship. For 2007, Zakspeed was forced to abandon their
FIA GT effort as the team went bankrupt during the off-season. ACEMCO also was forced to
withdraw and offer their S7-Rs for sale. Oreca finish-assembled two more chassis using subassemblies
provided by Saleen, with one going to the Italian Racing Box squad who would compete
alongside Oreca in the Le Mans Series. Oreca won four races during the season.
In 2010, the Oreca finish-assembled S7-R of Larbre Compétition won the final and its
only LMGT1 class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Initial fabrication and assembly
of this chassis was performed by Saleen's Irvine, CA engineering team in 2006-2007 after
normal business hours due to a shortage of funding. Subsequently, Saleen engineers named
the car Melissa, after the girlfriend of one of the Saleen race engineers.
References
Citations
External links Saleen - Official S7 Twin Turbo website
Ray Mallock Ltd. - Developer of the S7 Phil Frank Design, LLC - Designer of the S7
World Sports Racing Prototypes - Saleen S7-R chassis history