If I start describing a car with a carbon fiber body, scissor doors, and 750 horsepower - I’m willing to bet we’re not thinking of the same car. Now add a set of twin turbos to possibly narrow it down for the supercar affluent, but what if I told you it was painted “Bianco Fuji” – a Ferrari color. But I just said scissor doors…confused yet? Oh..by the way, it’s AMERICAN. If you guessed Saleen S7 after the first sentence, congratulations – you’re the Rain Man of supercar knowledge. Truth be told, I have a pretty decent education in exotic supercars, but when it comes to American cars in general...I’m like the kid in school who was staring out the window for that lesson, just not interested. For those of you who read my European car based articles, the fact that I'm not an American car fanboy shouldn't be a surprise. If you told me I'd have to drive an American car in order to save the world, it would have to be a Saleen S7 or Ford GT. Not to offend anyone, but we all have our individual tastes... and mine just doesn't include most American cars. Now, before you get all “MERICA!” on me – let me eat my words a bit. The Saleen S7 is SICK. It’s fast, it’s exotic, it looks the part, it’s got good technology (Carbon Fiber body)…and it’s 8 years old! (MERICA!) Its chassis is also 50% stiffer than an Enzo (one of the S7’s “competitors” at release date) and at the time was the quickest production car tested by Car and Driver. Mostly well known for producing highly tuned Mustangs, the S7 was produced by…wait for it, Steve Saleen. It was America’s first modern “Supercar”, introduced 5 years before the Ford GT (which incidentally Saleen helped work on as well). Powering the S7 is a 750 horsepower, 7-liter push rod V8 Twin-turbo derived from a Ford NASCAR engine. Nothing says MERICA more than displacement, horsepower and NASCAR right? 0-60 was 2.8 per the manufacturer along with a blistering 10.5-second quarter mile. Very believable considering the car weighs in at less than 3000 lbs. The lines of the S7 are pure and sexy. There is a definitive American feel to the car, long and sweeping, almost like a flag. No hard angles like a Lamborghini (although the door presentation is similar) and it’s longer and wider than most Ferrari’s. This particular example wears a pearl white Ferrari color, Bianco Fuji. Starting life as a yellow car, the owner repainted and replaced all wearable’s (down to bolts that weren’t black enough) in order complete a very custom S7. Black center lock one-piece wheels with PS2’s do their best to keep the S7 and its 750HP grounded, working in conjunction with diffusers and aero that not only looks amazing but is fully functional. Brembo brakes along with a race-derived twin master cylinder braking system bring the S7 to halt. Released during the same period of the Enzo, Carrera GT, Viper and Murcielago – the S7 brought America to the world supercar table. Check out the above video for a quick walk around. I may be opinionated, but I’m not dumb – there is no denying the performance, exclusivity, and sheer beauty of the S7. I love AMERICA.
