BY CSABA CSERE, PHOTOGRAPHY BY PLANET-R/RANDY LORENTZEN
Do 750 horsepower and 140 mph in the quarter make for street cred in the supercar class?
What supercar owners want more than anything else is street cred. It’s that indefinable blend of sleek and sexy styling, outrageous power, and genuine racing heritage that motivates a few people to put down the price of a decent house on a car intended primarily to impress friends and deliver weekend thrills.
Then there’s Steve Saleen, a man seen by many as the world’s most successful Mustang tuner. He is that and more, but how does that qualify him to build a twin-turbo supercar and charge $585,000 for it ” a price in the lofty range of the Ferrari Enzo, Porsche Carrera GT, and Mercedes SLR McLaren?
True, Saleen hasn’t campaigned his S7 Twin Turbo car in Formula 1, nor has he racked up umpteen wins at Le Mans, as have Ferrari, Mercedes, and Porsche. But despite the sterling racing heritages of their companies, the Enzo, the Carrera GT, and the SLR haven’t raced at all. Meanwhile, a racing version of the S7, the S7R, has won seven various GT championships and will be entered again this June at Le Mans. Moreover, that S7R, and the roadgoing S7 Twin Turbo, are virtually identical, built side by side using the same technology ” with the exception that the street car, with its pair of turbos, is much more powerful.
This direct kinship with its racing brother is noticeable as soon as you press the start button in the S7 Twin Turbo. The 7.0-liter V-8 bursts to life with a raucous rumble that is unattenuated by any mufflers. Saleen relies on the two turbos and four catalytic converters to remove the harshest notes from the firings of each of the nearly quart-sized cylinders.
Ease into the throttle, and the S7 surges forward with the effortless ease created by 750 horses pushing against just 2968 pounds of car. With 427 cubic inches of V-8 derived from Ford’s NASCAR engines and pressurized by two Garrett turbo-blowers working at a mild 6.0 psi, the engine generates enough thrust to scare you at just about any rpm. Floor the throttle when you’re rolling along in first gear on a dry, straight road, and the engine fries the rear tires when the boost comes up. On a winding road, it doesn’t much matter whether you run in second, third, or fourth gear because there’s enough power in any of them to summon big-time oversteer if you’re clumsy in a corner.
When you need to shed some speed, you’ll take comfort in brakes whose feel is undiluted by any form of power booster. The S7 has twin master cylinders connected by a balance bar, exactly what you find on most race cars. The setup delivers the reassuringly hard pedal and precise modulation that help hold the giant Brembo disc brakes on the edge of lockup.
Although it’s power assisted, the S7’s high-mounted rack-and-pinion steering is as precise and responsive as the brakes. Move the Sparco steering wheel just a millimeter, and the S7 responds immediately. Run over an invisible dip in the pavement, and the steering wheel wiggles in your hands. Snake through a series of rapid esses, and the S7 transitions without waiting for the suspension to unwind its body roll or transfer weight from one front tire to another. The car simply reverses the direction of its turn instantly.
This is steering that makes a Porsche Cayman S feel sluggish, and you certainly don’t want to rely on one hand to control the S7 while you yak on a cell phone in your other. But after a day behind the wheel, it became second nature while retaining its magically quick moves.
Couple this steering with giant Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires, a race-derived suspension, and a chassis that Saleen engineering V-P Bill Tally says is 50 percent more rigid than a Ferrari Enzo’s, and you get a car that is very hard to push to the limit on a public highway. Even when you think you’re flying through a turn at an outrageous clip, the car still reacts sharply to steering corrections, indicating there’s plenty of remaining grip.
One reason for this seemingly limitless adhesion is the S7’s aerodynamic downforce. In the original S7, downforce was equal to the car’s weight at a speed of 160 mph. The S7 Twin Turbo harnesses the air to multiply its grip even more effectively, thanks to a new rear spoiler and more efficient rear diffuser. In fact, Tally says the diffuser is better than the one used on the race car because it is uncompromised by racing restrictions.
Despite this genuinely racy dynamic feel, the S7 is reasonably comfortable on the road. New coil-over shocks, each with stacked soft and hard springs, provide a more compliant ride at moderate speeds than did the original S7. When the driver begins running quickly and the downforce compresses the suspension, the car settles onto the stiffer springs, which better match the higher loads. The switch from Pirelli P Zero Rosso tires to the Michelins doesn’t hurt the ride, either. On smooth California roads, the Saleen feels reasonably absorbent, with just a hint of metallic rattle to be heard over sharp-edged bumps.
Aside from the loud interior noise level ” 86 dBA at 70 mph ” the S7 is comfortable, with plenty of leg- and headroom and an excellent driving position. Despite the thick steering wheel, the instruments are unblocked and the view forward is excellent. To keep tabs behind the car, the driver relies on large exterior mirrors and an LCD screen connected to a TV camera pointed rearward.
Even the A-pillars, which are thick with cushy padding, don’t interfere with your vision as they do in some other mid-engined cars, such as the Ford GT. One reason is that the driver’s seat is shifted four inches toward the middle of the car. Not only does this improve the sightlines, but it also reduces the offset to the pedals, which are markedly inboard, owing to the front wheel well. This move leaves the passenger with less elbowroom, but in the S7 the driver comes first.
As in a race car, the supportive seats are bolted solidly to the floor and the driver’s legroom is adjusted by bolting the pedal cluster to a suitable position. Despite that racy touch, the S7’s cockpit is comfortable and plushly finished. All the surfaces are leather, the headliner is Alcantara, the instrument cluster is attractive, and the windows retract fully into the upward-swinging doors.
In our test of the original S7 (July 2003), we complained about a grabby clutch. This S7, although using the same twin-plate hybrid metallic-organic unit that is eight inches in diameter, worked much better. It also helps that the gearing has been revised ” it’s generally taller, but with a shorter first gear. Driving through urban traffic won’t fray your nerves, and the engine is fuss-free, as long as you avoid 1700 to 1900 rpm, where the V-8 surges noticeably at part throttle.
Laid-back street driving is one thing, but with 700 pound-feet of torque available, launching the S7 Twin Turbo demands care. You want to raise the revs to 2800 rpm and not quite drop the clutch but engage it very quickly while going to about half-throttle. Too much gas will smoke the rear tires instantly.
Do it right, and you’ll scorch the quarter-mile in 10.9 seconds at 140 mph. We hit 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, 100 mph in 6.2, and 160 mph, which was as fast as we could go at the short track placed at our disposal, in 15.6 seconds. The S7 Twin Turbo has enough power to easily get below three seconds to 60, but despite trying about a dozen full-power launches, which bothered the car not one whit, such a time needs a higher-traction surface than we had available.
Still, that performance was enough to make the S7 Twin Turbo the quickest production car we’ve ever tested. It’s even a 10th quicker through the quarter than the modified Mosler MT900S tested in this issue, and the Saleen is geared to go about 70 mph faster, although we had no chance to verify that figure.
We didn’t expect any substantial changes in the braking and skidpad figures we’d collected with that earlier S7, and the 1.04 g of cornering grip and 70-mph stopping distance of 157 feet are much the same. That’s doing well, given the much-improved ride.
Terrific grip, fabulous performance, and race-honed control feel make the S7 Twin Turbo one of the most exhilarating rides on the planet. That should be enough street cred for anyone.
SALEEN S7 TWIN TURBO SPEC
Vehicle type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
Price as tested: $589,950
Price and option breakdown: base Saleen S7 Twin Turbo (includes $5000 freight), $585,000; polished wheels, $4950
Major standard accessories: power windows and locks, remote locking, A/C, tilting and telescoping steering wheel
Sound system: Kenwood XXV-05V AM-FM radio/CD-DVD player, 2 speakers
ENGINE
Type: twin-turbocharged V-8, aluminum block and heads
Bore x stroke: 4.12 x 4.00 in, 104.6 x 101.6mm
Displacement: 427 cu in, 6991cc
Compression ratio: 10.8:1
Fuel-delivery system: port injection
Turbochargers: Garrett GT35R
Maximum boost pressure: 6.0 psi
Valve gear: pushrods, 2 valves per cylinder
Power (SAE net): 750 bhp @ 6300 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 700 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
Redline: 6500 rpm
DRIVETRAIN
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Final-drive ratio: 3.20:1, limited slip
Gear, Ratio, Mph/1000 rpm, Speed in gears
I, 2.86, 8.8, 57 mph (6500 rpm)
II, 1.61, 15.6, 102 mph (6500 rpm)
III, 1.14, 22.1, 144 mph (6500 rpm)
IV, 0.96, 26.2, 170 mph (6500 rpm)
V, 0.81, 31.1, 202 mph (6500 rpm)
VI, 0.64, 39.3, 248 mph (6300 rpm)
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 106.3 in
Track, front/rear: 68.8/67.3 in
Length/width/height: 188.0/78.4/41.1 in
Ground clearance: 4.0 in
Curb weight: 2968 lb
Weight distribution, F/R: 45.0/55.0%
Curb weight per horsepower: 4.0 lb
Fuel capacity: 19.0 gal
CHASSIS/BODY
Type: steel-tube space frame reinforced with aluminum-honeycomb panels
Body material: carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic and aluminum honeycomb
INTERIOR
SAE volume, front seat: 47 cu ft
luggage: 5 cu ft
Front-seat adjustments: none
Restraint systems, front: manual 3-point belts
SUSPENSION
Front: ind, unequal-length control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear: ind, unequal-length control arms with a toe-control link, coil springs, anti-roll bar
STEERING
Type: rack-and-pinion with hydraulic power assist
Turns lock-to-lock: 2.0
Turning circle curb-to-curb: 44.3 ft
BRAKES
Type: hydraulic
Front: 15.0 x 1.3-in vented, grooved disc
Rear: 14.0 x 1.3-in vented, grooved disc
WHEELS AND TIRES
Wheel size: F: 9.5 x 19 in, R: 12.0 x 20 in
Wheel type: forged aluminum
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2; F: 275/35ZR-19 100Y, R: 335/30ZR-20 104Y
Test inflation pressures, F/R: 32/32 psi
Spare: none
C/D TEST RESULTS
ACCELERATION: Seconds
Zero to 30 mph: 1.5
40 mph: 2.2
50 mph: 2.9
60 mph: 3.4
70 mph: 3.9
80 mph: 4.7
90 mph: 5.4
100 mph: 6.2
110 mph: 7.0
120 mph: 8.4
130 mph: 9.5
140 mph: 10.9
150 mph: 13.6
160 mph: 15.6
Street start, 5“60 mph: 3.5
Top-gear acceleration, 30“50 mph: 5.7
50“70 mph: 5.4
Standing ¼-mile: 10.9 sec @ 140 mph
Top speed (drag limited, mfr’s claim): 248 mph
BRAKING
70–0 mph @ impending lockup: 157 ft
Modulation: poor fair good excellent
Front-rear balance: poor fair good
HANDLING
Roadholding, 200-ft-dia skidpad: 1.04 g
Understeer: minimal moderate excessive
PROJECTED FUEL ECONOMY
EPA city driving: 9 mpg
EPA highway driving: 15 mpg
INTERIOR SOUND LEVEL
Idle: 77 dBA
Full-throttle acceleration: 96 dBA
70-mph cruising: 86 dBA
