Saleen S7

Steve Saleen, founder and owner of Saleen Inc., personally worked on the design of the rear-wheel-drive Saleen S7. The supercar was produced from 2000 to 2004. Its construction used a tubular frame, as in racing cars, but with the characteristics of a production road car. The carbon-fibre body kept weight very low.

The 7,008 cc V8, with a cam-operated mechanism, was mounted behind the cabin and ahead of the rear axle. The American supercar’s aluminium engine produced 712 Nm at 4,000 rpm and a maximum of 550 hp at 5,900 rpm. Top speed was 330 km/h, and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h took no more than 3.3 seconds. The Saleen S7 used a six-speed manual gearbox. ABS was not fitted: this demanded concentration from the driver, while also allowing greater freedom of control.