User:Mr Grim Reaper/Saleen S7

The Saleen S7 is a supercar developed jointly by Saleen, Hidden Creek Industries, and Ray Mallock, and produced solely by Saleen in Irvine, California. It is the first car produced by Saleen not based on an existing design and is considered to be the first American production supercar, although the Vector W8, first sold in 1991, went into very limited production. It was originally designed to feature a twin-turbocharged engine, however, it was not included until 2005 when it was replaced by the S7 Twin Turbo, which featured a more powerful twin-turbo system that boosted engine power to 750 horsepower (760 PS/559 kW) and the top speed to an estimated 250 mph (402 km/h).

Development
The Saleen S7 was to be a joint effort between Steve Saleen and S.A. "Tony" Johnson, and developed in under 18 months. Ray Mallock Ltd. was hired to assist with the design of the chassis and suspension system. The engine development, headed by Bill Tally, was derived from a Ford 427cid engine casting and re-engineered to be eight inches (203.2 mm) shorter.

Technology
The Saleen S7 is a 2-door coupe with a mid-engine layout giving power to the rear wheels while keeping the center of gravity towards the middle of the car, improving overall performance. The entire car weighs 2750 lb (1247 kg), however, it has an effective weight more than double of this during high speeds due to downforce.

Exterior


The body of the car, made entirely from carbon fiber, incorporates the use of scoops, spoilers, and other aerodynamic features to create split-channel airflow throughout the car, and at 160 miles per hour (257 km/h), the car creates its own weight in downforce and could theoretically be driven up side down. This is often promoted in advertising, although supercars often produce their own weight in downforce at high speeds.

Interior
The interior of the Saleen S7 was designed to be luxurious. The use of leather can be seen throughout the cabin, with aluminum accents, and comes with custom-fit luggage. Because of the cars mid-engine layout, it has two trunks, front and rear. Other features included are an LCD monitor, rear-view camera, a quick-release steering-wheel, and a 240 mph (386 km/h) speedometer. The cabin is of an asymmetrical layout, with the drivers seat, which is custom fitted, positioned toward the center to improve the drivers visibility and better distribute the weight and thus improving the cars center of gravity.

Chassis
The chassis is of a space frame design made from 4130 lightweight steel and honeycomb composite reinforcing panels.

Engine
The Saleen S7 sports a 7-liter (7024 cc/428.6 cu in), naturally-aspirated, all-aluminum OHV V8 engine, mounted at 90º. Each cylinder] is lubricated via a [[dry sump system, has two stainless steel valves per cylinder, a compression ratio of 10.0:1, and a bore and stroke of 4.13 in and 4.00 in (104.9 mm and 101.6 mm), respectively. It generates a maximum power of 550 horsepower (558 PS/410 kW) at 6400 rpm and a maximum torque of 525 foot-pounds (712 N•m) at 4000 rpm.  The redline rpm is indicated at 6500 rpm.

The Saleen S7 can accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour (97 km/h) in an estimated 3.9 seconds, and on to 100 miles per hour in an estimated 8.1 seconds. It can complete a standing quarter mile in an estimated 11.75 seconds, reaching 126 miles per hour (203 km/h). The maximum speed of the car is above 200 miles per hour (322 km/h).

The engine is connected to a longitudinal 6-speed transaxle manual transmission with a full synchromesh, a 4-plate clutch, and a limited slip differential.

Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo
The Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo is an upgraded revision of the original Saleen S7. Although the initial version of the car was designed to use twin-turbochargers, they were not included. The twin-turbocharged version went on sale in 2005 for five-hundred and eighty-five thousands United States dollars (approx. GB£295,559, c.2007/€435,203, c.2007) and is still in production.

Changes
The engine was upgraded with two Garrett turbochargers producing approximately 6 psi (0.4 bar) of boost, increasing the maximum power to 750 horsepower (760 PS/559 kW) at 6300 rpm, and the maximum torque to 700 foot-pounds (949 N•m) at 4800 rpm.

Competition package
In 2006, Saleen offered an optional competition package for the Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo. The package offers a 33% increase in power, to a total of and approximate 1000 horsepower (1014 PS/746 kW), as well as changes to the suspension, a revised nose and rear diffuser, and an optional aerodynamic package with carbon fiber front and rear spoilers.

Motorsport
The Saleen S7R is the race-purpose version of the Saleen S7, produced from 2000 to present-day.

Like the street version, it sports the same 7-liter (7000 cc/427 cu in), naturally-aspirated, all-aluminum V8 engine, mounted at 90º. However, it produces a greater maximum power of 600 horsepower (608 PS/448 kW) at 6400 rpm and a maximum torque of 550 foot-pounds (746 N•m) at 5400 rpm. In addition, the redline has been reduced to 6400 rpm.

The overall weight of the car is lower at a ballasted 2535 lb (1150 kg). This was achieved by removing redundant equipment or replacing it with lightweight materials. Furthermore, the exterior has been modified to improve the cars aerodynamics, significantly increasing its downforce.

The Saleen S7R has been campaigned in racing events in America, including the American Le Mans Series and the 12 Hours of Sebring, and Europe, including the FIA GT Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

24 Hours of Le Mans


First entered in the 2001 24 Hours of Le Mans, it has finished towards the end of the field in 2002 and 2003. After a two-year hiatus, the ACEMCO-entered S7R (number 66) finished 11th overall and 6th in the GT1 class at the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans, behind several Chevrolet Corvette C6.R and Aston Martin DBR9.

American Le Mans Series


The Saleen S7R made its debut at Texas Motor Speedway in Round 7 (Grand Prix of Texas) of the 2000 American Le Mans Series season, although it retire due to transmission problems.