Although Saleen is in the midst of a legal and financial crisis, that hasn’t stopped the California tuner from announcing plans for a limited run of Saleen S7 hypercars, built from the original designs and components from the first run of cars. You might be surprised, but Saleen Automotive didn’t have the rights to the S7 until recently. After a bout of conflicts in the past few years, the rights to the S7 fell under the jurisdiction of a holding company, which recently put a bundle of S7 goodies, including the intellectual rights, tools, unfinished cars, and parts up for auction. Saleen Automotive stepped in as the winning bidder and used these assets to fuel an extended run of S7s for moneyed collectors.
It has already been announced that the new run of vehicles will be named the S7 LM, honoring the 20th anniversary of its last win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Each car will have a spec sheet nearly identical to the one carried by the top-spec S7 Twin Turbo from 2005. Under the lithe bodywork beats the same Ford-sourced 7.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8, pushing out an astounding 1,000 hp. Saleen was mum about performance figures, but we would be shocked if they vary from the specs of the older Twin Turbo. Expect that the car will be able to reach 100 kph in 2.8 seconds, and a more impressive 160 kph in just 5.9 seconds. Keep your foot planted long enough, and the original S7 Twin Turbo would top out around 400 kph.
If this project reaches fruition, each S7 LM will wear special paintwork, wheels, interiors, and aerodynamic features that set it apart from the original run of cars. Only seven examples will be made. The Saleen club reports that the S7 LM will have an estimated price tag of $1 million.
