Saleen S7 Twin Turbo Competition

[Danny]

The competition package is a new option from Saleen that builds on the 750 bhp S7, producing an astounding 1000 bhp. The package is the latest evolution of the S7 supercar that first started production in 2001. The twin-turbo model was released in 2005 and also included changes to the suspenion and exterior design. The extra horsepower comes from increasing the boost of the twin-turbo system developed by Saleen. Also available is an aerodynamic package that includes a carbon fiber rear wing and front splitter.


Engine & Drivetrain

The all-aluminum V8 engine casting was engineered and tooled by Saleen to displace seven liters. Space age materials and engineering are used throughout, including stainless steel valves, titanium retainers, beryllium exhaust valve seats, an aluminum throttle body, Saleen-designed aluminum CNC-machined cylinder heads and stainless steel exhaust system. The V8 incorporates a unique Saleen-designed side-mounted water pump, a belt-driven camshaft drive and a Saleen-engineered dry sump oil delivery system.

The engine's mid-chassis placement optimizes weight distribution and makes room for an unusually tall engine that allows for a very efficient induction system. Air enters a roof intake, passes through a 90-mm mass air meter and feeds into a carbon fiber plenum. From the plenum the air is routed to the twin ball bearing turbos, is pressurized to 5.5 psi max and then passes through an oval-bore throttle body into an aluminum intake manifold with eight individual runners.

To feed juice to this setup, the injection system includes dual electric fuel pumps and high-capacity, return-less, 52 lb/hr fuel injectors. Neatly engineered and integrated into the S7's stainless steel, dual, high-flow exhaust system are two, twin-ball-bearing, water-cooled Saleen-Garrett turbos, featuring 44-mm wastegates. The four exhaust pipes from each bank of cylinders merge into a race-car-like high-efficiency collector. In addition, the exhaust incorporates dual catalysts per cylinder bank, EGR and those aforementioned twin wastegates.

Chassis, Suspension, and Brakes

A major improvement in ride over previous models is achieved with the use of coil springs that are a dual-stage design. The first spring has a lower rate than the single springs fitted to the current S7, resulting in softer ride during normal street driving. But if you remember your history, you know that the S7 is a flat-bottom, downforce car. The faster you go, the more downforce the S7 develops. In the case of the S7's new dual-stage springs, the second stiffer spring starts coming into play at around 100 mph when the car begins to develop serious downforce.

Chassis tuning also includes revised shock valving front and rear. Saleen-engineered Brembo-supplied lightweight aluminum six-piston mono-block calipers are fitted front and rear. The brakes are among the largest of any production car with 15-inch vented discs up front and 14-inch vented discs at the rear.

Holy Sweet Jesus!

 

[Poverty]

not much of a looker anymore

 

[inferno]

 

[Tornado]

So they are finally delivering the 1000BHP cars? Awesome. And with a fixed rear spoiler it should handle even better. It reminds me of the evolution from McLaren F1 to McLaren F1 LM.

 

[Pink_the_Floyd]

Only this thing pwnes a Mclaren

 

[Dave A]

not much of a looker anymore

Imo it never was.

 

[JCE]

This is automotive porn. But, I prefer the original design.

And for the previous two who didn't like it, have you actually SEEN+TOUCHED+SAT IN one in real life? If you haven't then you can't judge with pictures. If you have then I think you may need to check your pulse.

 

[3-Wheel Drive]

Cherry.

 

[Dave A]

I haven't sat in one, but I have seen one in the metal and close up. They are okay from the front but as you get to the sides it get's ugly then the rear is hideous looking. I'm not disrespectful of the car nor ignorant of what it's capable of, it is a very good car but it just isn't great looking imo.

 

[Tornado]

I have to agree with l4s. Whilst the S7 is nicely sized and has good presence (and is better than the Enzo), it is not anywheres near the best looking supercar.

 

[ND4SPD]

1000hp eh? I wonder what speed this thing could hit.

 

[Alex.]

hot on the veyron's tail would be not a bad! just think if it beat the veyron!


bugatti nearly break the bank to build the best car and it it beaten within 8 months! HHAHAHAHHAH GO SALEEN!!!!!!!!

 

[Tornado]

Automobile quoted 255 for the 750 BHP model, but the problem is that I don't beleive the car is geared high enough to do so. So really, who knows?

 

[Midnight Runner]

Who cares how a supecar loks when you're going at an excessive speed of 200+ mph ??!

Not me.

 

[Flerbizky]

I haven't sat in one, but I have seen one in the metal and close up. They are okay from the front but as you get to the sides it get's ugly then the rear is hideous looking. I'm not disrespectful of the car nor ignorant of what it's capable of, it is a very good car but it just isn't great looking imo.

Thank you Sir - My thoughts exactly !....

 

[southern347]

HAH! America wins!

 

[harrytuttle]

I haven't sat in one, but I have seen one in the metal and close up. They are okay from the front but as you get to the sides it get's ugly then the rear is hideous looking. I'm not disrespectful of the car nor ignorant of what it's capable of, it is a very good car but it just isn't great looking imo.

I think it's wonderfully ugly, in the same way a Skyline GT-R is ugly. There's nothing pretty or delicate about it. Nothing that echoes the 250GTO and Miura supercars of 40 years ago, but in a modern, function-first sense, it's functionally beautiful.

I see cars as being beautiful in one of two ways: by design, or by engineering. Many are one or the other, most are really neither, but minute few are both. This ain't "both", but it's beautiful nonetheless.

 

[YSSMAN]

...I'd still rather have the Mosler MT900S or Photon, especially now that they have upgraded the car with the 7.0L LS7...

 

[red70mach1]

Lookin at thte splitter, it looks discreet.

 

[McLaren]

So this is the Competition model for the Twin Turbo model, heh?

Well, the S7 Competition looks pretty awesome, so I'll look forward to seeing this one enter our dealership soon.

 

[Dave A]

I think it's wonderfully ugly, in the same way a Skyline GT-R is ugly. There's nothing pretty or delicate about it. Nothing that echoes the 250GTO and Miura supercars of 40 years ago, but in a modern, function-first sense, it's functionally beautiful.

If something looks ugly because they'chose high levels of function instead I can appreciate that, I still think the car looks ugly. Unless that's a design that makes me think "that looks nice" it is not beautiful in any way to me, functional or not. Like I said, I can still appreciate the car for it's abilities and for why it's designed like that, but just being able to appreciate it's funtionality isn't thinking the car is beautiful in appearence to me.

 

[Eric.]

I think it would look better without the wing (maybe because it is such a plain looking one?) but if it makes considerable downforce I'm all for it. Now they need to add the body mods into TD:U.

 

[JohnBM01]

Not much of a looker? Come on now, player! Believe it or not, I've almost always liked this car. I said it was perhaps the most complete supercar from America in the modern era. Americans really know V8s, and I'm kind of surprised or amazed that they didn't go to a V10 or a V12. I'd certainly put in a V10 or V12 if I built a car like this for those who can afford its semi-exorbitant price. I'd certainly love to see the Saleen S7 return to sportscar racing, even with this model. If Saleen made the S7R-T.T.C., then it would be an interesting battle in the GT1 ranks. But then, there it would be two Ford companies vs. one lone GM program. GT1 needs more competition anyways.

I LOVE the red color here. A lot of the car reminds me of the McLaren F1, only that this would be more like an American McLaren F1. Just that the McLaren F1 is still the king of all superexotics (sorry, Bugatti!). My Manchester buddy, Live4Speed noted about a car like this being ugly, but can appreciate its abilities. It's the same thing I think about the Corvette C6 and the Ferrari Enzo (weird transistion, eh?). The Enzo is all loved by a lot of people, but I don't like its looks all that much. I'm not so squeamish about a car because of some rear wing. So I don't feel any different with this car's rear wing. I think even when the SVT Focus was made, it was to be more functional than just for show. This Saleen S7 TTC obviously has one function (at least to Saleen)- beat the s:censored: out of any supercar from Europe or anywhere in the world (including America). And you know certain American types would be prideful of seeing one of its own cars be the all-conquering beast in all of the world.

I have one real issue with this car. Usually, more powerful cars lack in the handling department. The Saleen S7 is a fairly light car. But how can it match up on a variety of circuits? It would need to try a regimen of courses like Sears Point, Road America, Donnington Park, Monza, and a little track called Suzuka. Or if Saleen wants to SERIOUSLY make their S7 the baddest boy on the planet, it can do all 13+ miles of Nürburgring Nordschleife. Can this thing really be the all-conquering beast Saleen perhaps envisioned this to be? Am I giving this car more credit than it actually deserves? Talk to me, GTPlanet!

 

[harrytuttle]

If something looks ugly because they'chose high levels of function instead I can appreciate that, I still think the car looks ugly. Unless that's a design that makes me think "that looks nice" it is not beautiful in any way to me, functional or not. Like I said, I can still appreciate the car for it's abilities and for why it's designed like that, but just being able to appreciate it's funtionality isn't thinking the car is beautiful in appearence to me.

To me, this is beautiful:

So extraordinarily complex in its simplicity. And yet its use is the reason you are viewing this text.

There's a functional grace that many high-end performance cars have. Some of it is in the accurate placement of aerodynamic aids, which often interrupt the nice, smooth lines we normally accept as "beautiful". But if you can see the function in the form, see the purpose of the details as a whole and not just the individual elements, an entirely different picture can be made from the car. You're no longer looking at the surface of the car; you're not using any visual sense. It's probably best explained as a "sixth sense", where you understand the engineering and thought that went into the design.

Ask Colin Chapman. He probably knows:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Chapman

 

[Dave A]

I can appreciate what your saying I just distance aestheitc beauty from funtional ability more than you do.

 

[TheCracker]

...I'd certainly love to see the Saleen S7 return to sportscar racing, even with this model. If Saleen made the S7R-T.T.C., then it would be an interesting battle in the GT1 ranks. But then, there it would be two Ford companies vs. one lone GM program. GT1 needs more competition anyways.

Actually John, the Saleen S7 runs in the FIA GT Championship in the GT1 catagory. Zakspeed and Balfe Motorsport run a car each.

http://www.fiagt.com/

They got a 4th at Mugello this past weekend.


The Saleen was pretty much designed to be a racing car from the off, so it's hardly surprising that it follows function over form for its looks.

 

[harrytuttle]

I can appreciate what your saying I just distance aestheitc beauty from funtional ability more than you do.

For some reason you think that I have trouble with that dichotomy. I was simply explaining, as ugly as the S7-TT is to look at, that there is still beauty in it. My original post in this thread:

I see cars as being beautiful in one of two ways: by design, or by engineering. Many are one or the other, most are really neither, but minute few are both. This ain't "both", but it's beautiful nonetheless.

Does that help?

 

[JohnBM01]

Like I've said in the past, I have a preference for design. I just don't want to say that this is a car that is a breath of fresh air over the certain "pretty" supercars. It's just me because I'm not so squeamish on a car in terms of design, character, or anything like that. I don't think the Saleen S7 is ugly at all. I even got up close to one at the Houston Auto Show once. Seeing it in person and standing next to it, and I sort of felt like the floor around me was rumbling around me even though the engine wasn't on. It's a very moving car. I say it looks like an American McLaren F1 in looks (and maybe power as well), but it can hold its own on the road and track. Can you have a good car without good design? Sure. I'm accustomed to cars with a nice mix of style coupled with capable attributes. I usually like a car that combines style and can be capable in driving conditions. No way in Hell can you say that the Saleen S7 is flimsy compared to other supercars.

I was talking about a Twin Turbo Competition race car, not so much the non-turbo Saleen S7R. I do have GTR, so I'm pretty aware that the Saleen S7 is a consistent competitor in FIA GT.

 

[McLaren]

I was talking about a Twin Turbo Competition race car, not so much the non-turbo Saleen S7R. I do have GTR, so I'm pretty aware that the Saleen S7 is a consistent competitor in FIA GT.

Well John, as nice as that would be, it isn't that simple. All the regulations would most likely keep the car unable to race or severly modified to meet the regulations.

However, I don't see this TT Competition as a bigger, badder car than the S7R. The S7 Competition has nowhere the same capabilities, and I can't see the Twin Turbo model with a kit that just makes it more trackable coming close either.

The non-turbo S7R is already very powerful. It may come to Saleen to realize a Twin Turbo S7R may not be worth building if they can expand it to its full capabilites.

 

[Dave A]

A twin turbo S7 race car would have to have I think a 4.5 liter engine or smaller to meet most GT racing regulations concerning turbo powered engines, ontop of that it wouldn't be much more powerful than non-turbo S7 entrants. While the prospect of having a proper S7 Twin turbo-R roaring around race tracks is a nice one, the realisation that the car would be seriousely modified to meet regulatons, right down to having a different engine altogether make it not a viable prospect.