Saleen sure does know how to build ‘em right (he was, after all, the man that managed to make the Saleen S7 a reality) so the prospect of a second supercar form the American manufacturer does get me a little giddy on the inside.
Specs include a supercharged 5.0L V8 producing 650 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque, the ability to run on cellulosic ethanol, 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, 6-speed manual with an optional paddle shifted sequential gearbox, aluminum chassis, and a top speed of over 200 mph.
So what does eternal fastitude like this cost you?
If it makes it to market, just $185,000.
(And yes, in case you were wondering, I did bring you a sneak peak of this car back in November, so never let it be said that DYH doesn’t bring the latest and greatest to the table.)
Steve Saleen started out like any other Mustang tuner, adding more horsepower, more handling, more good looks, and more sexy to an already potent platform. Since the mid ‘80s, he’s been testing, tuning and tweaking his cars to get every last bit of performance out of the blue oval.
Then, in 2000, Saleen did something that few others in the car world have been able to master: he designed and built his own car. The jump from bolting parts onto an existing car to designing your own car from the ground up is huge, but the S7 quickly dominated both the track and the street, proving that Americans can play the supercar game just as well as the Europeans can.
Saleen’s current line-up includes the S7 (with 1000 twin turboed horsepower), the S281 Mustang (including a 550 horsepower Extreme version), the S331 Sport Truck (including a 450 horsepower supercharged version), and the new Parnelli Jones limited edition collaboration Mustang. If it’s fast, and it’s American, chances are, it’s Saleen.
As the man behind the stunningly sexy S7, and the ferociously fast Ford GT, Steve Saleen knows how to make ‘em.
