In the long history of Ford powered supercars, the Saleen S7 stands apart from the others. Not only was the S7 developed to dominate on the track, it was the last great triumph of Ford’s traditional V8. Some have speculated that the Saleen S7 is what prompted the return of the GT in 2003, but regardless of its implications to lesser cars, the S7 Twin Turbo is an 850 hp recipe for excitement.
Saleen began S7 development in the late 90’s, with many in the motoring press deriding his efforts to build his own supercar. Previously his company specialized in wild versions of the Mustang and other Ford cars, so this was seemingly beyond their abilities. Production began in 2000 using a naturally aspirated 7.0L V8. This allowed it to reach 60 mph in under 4 seconds and return consistent 11 second 1/4 mile times. While that may be faster than 99% of cars on the road today, there was room for improvement.
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(Located at Exotic Motors Midwest)
Mr. Saleen has never been content to leave his creations alone, so from the car’s inception to 2005 the team had developed a myriad of upgrades to the original design. When the Ford GT arrived with a factory supercharged V8, Steve returned fire with the S7 Twin Turbo. No, this isn’t a turbo package, for all intents and purposes it is a new model.
Taking the S7 back to the drawing board, the team was able to integrate aerodynamic and powertrain revisions that had been planned for the original car, but were too expensive to build at the time. Starting at the ground up, the Twin Turbo arrived with dual coil springs at all corners. This is not normally seen on street cars due to cost reasons, but it makes perfect sense considering the car’s dual nature. The main spring handles normal driving, and a secondary coil supports the incredible downforce generated at high speeds. Brembo monoblock calipers were also integrated, which lowered unsprung weight.
For weekend racers, a competition package was also available. By raising the boost of the turbochargers along with other engine revisions, the S7 Twin Turbo offered no less than 850 hp to play with. Any normal small block V8 would detonate at these levels, so a few innovative steps were taken to ensure reliability. The camshaft is belt driven to separate valvetrain harmonics from the bottom end. This resulted in numerous class wins at LeMans and Daytona, making the S7 Twin Turbo one of the most desired cars in the world.
What you see here is an opportunity to own the most highly optioned model we have seen. With only 961 miles, it isn’t even broken in yet. Exotic Motors Midwest, located in St. Louis, MO, just completed a full service, consisting of changing all fluids along with testing the turbos and ignition system. Included is the original window sticker, luggage, and a certificate of authenticity from Steve. You won’t find a new S7 Twin Turbo with the competition package anywhere. Exotic Motors is pleased to offer this car for sale at their St. Louis headquarters. For more information Danny Baker at 314-267-9890 or danny@exoticmotorsmidwest.com
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