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Saleen Ups S7 Power to Make It Worlds Fastest Supercar

Two-Valve, Pushrod Technology is Still King of the Supercar Hill

Have you ever seen a Saleen S7? The closest most people ever get to Americas mid-engine supercar is either at an auto show or on the small screen in the Gillette Mach 3 Turbo ad.

The all-American Ferrari-killer is a project in literal motion, a car constantly being revised in the micro-automakers pursuit to be the best, and resultantly win sales from a very small target niche.

The simplest way to get attention, and one that is often used in this game of ultimate power broking,

The all-American Ferrari-killing Saleen S7 is mighty rare, but nevertheless has found a niche in the affluent supercar enthusiast market. (Photo: Saleen)

is to up engine performance. Swedens super carmaker Koenigsegg has recently done just that with its updated CCR, while other sports car marques continue to increase the ante in the horsepower poker play.

In this game the higher the numbers, the more respect you get. Therefore, for the 2004 model year the mid-engined S7 is boosted to 575 horsepower.

The

With wallet crushing supercars like the S7, the fastest way to get even more attention is to push the engine performance even higher. (Photo: Saleen)

S7s motor, a 7.0 liter V8, is loosely based on Fords NASCAR V8 block, but Saleen has thoroughly re-worked the powerplant. The block, heads, and crankshaft are Saleens own creations, and cast from aluminum and forged steel. There are however fundamentals that have not been changed. For one, the V8 is still a 2-valve per cylinder unit with pushrods - unconventional in the modern day supercar scene.

Its 575 horsepower output is up from the previous version at 550, while torque has increased to 568 lb-ft at 4700 rpm, up 44 lb-ft. Power is fed through a straight-cut 6-speed manual gearbox.

The increase to 575-hp makes the S7 arguably the worlds quickest car, at least according to Saleen factory figures. (Photo: Saleen)

While it pales in comparison to the 806-hp Koenigsegg CCR, the S7 still has the title of worlds most powerful naturally-aspirated production V8 motor.

So what difference does the extra power make for the S7? Well, it will certainly be hard to tell, but its very impressive zero to 60 mph sprint takes just 2.8 seconds, and 100 mph arrives in a mere 6.5 seconds. Top speed is estimated at 200 mph, or so.

The factory figures make the S7 the worlds quickest car, beating out the McLaren F1, Ferrari Enzo or Pagani Zonda by a healthy margin, but it will have to be made official and tested by a trusted third party before such a claim can be confirmed.

Regardless of its claim to worlds fastest, the Saleen S7 is still incredibly quick. The price? A mere $430,000. Sell the house in the Hamptons, your executive shuttle has arrived.

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