The once-proud American tuner Saleen is now totally
Chinese. But that is a good thing, because the speedy Saleen S1 sportscar will
see production, in China, starting later this year. The Saleen S1 is based on
the Artega GT. Saleen acquired the rights and tools in 2015. Saleen then cut a
deal with Chinese company Jiangsu Secco Automobile Technology Corporation to
built the S1 in China.
The S1 is powered by a 2.3 liter turbocharged
four-cylinder engine, good for an impressive 450 hp and 577 Nm. Saleen claims a
top speed of 290 km/h and a 0-96 km/h per hour in 3.5 seconds.
Saleen made quite a lot of changes to the Artega’s
design, especially at the rear, adding these very wide hips. It sure looks
fast. When exactly the Saleen S1 will be launched on the Chinese market, and
for how much, is yet unsure. Eventually it will be exported to Europe and the
United states as well.
Interestingly, the S1 also stands on Saleen’s
website now. It is offered at US$ 100.000, without any information about dealers or
deliveries. The page doesn’t mention the
Chinese production or the Artega connection. And strangely, the engine size is
2.5 liter, but the other numbers are about the same.
