Saleen S7 LM
Saleen launched its own supercar at the turn of the millennium.
Capable of taking on the best that Europe has to offer, the mid-engined exotic
was powered by a 7.0-liter V8 and famously produced enough downforce to
(theoretically) allow it to drive upside down on the roof of a tunnel at 160
miles per hour.
In naturally aspirated form and with 550 horsepower
on tap, it could hit 60 in 3.3 seconds and top out at 220 mph. An even more
powerful twin-turbo version followed with 750 hp that could, according to the
manufacturer, reach 248 mph, passing 60 along the way in 2.8 seconds and
covering the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds.
All good things come to an end, and Saleen
stopped making the S7 in 2009. Plans for a followup called the S5S Raptor never
reached the production phase, but now the company – which had since split and
remerged – is bringing the S7 out of retirement, albeit in very limited
quantities.
Dubbed the S7 LM, the new version is slated to pack
that same 7.0-liter twin-turbo V8. But this time it projected to produce 1,000
hp, or nearly twice the original's output. Only seven examples will be made in
honor of Saleen's seven-year winning streak in a variety of racing series that
started in 1996. Seems to us like as good a way to celebrate
as any we've ever seen, and we're looking forward to seeing it materialize.
