S351 '97

I think that the S351 Saleen is way underrated. I mean, the thing has more horses than a Viper GTS, does 0-60 in 4.6, has a top speed of like 167mph and has excellent handling... Yet no one seems to really do comparisons with it or anything. A nice comparo would be against the S351 and the Viper RT/10. Ones a V10 N/A, the other a V8 Suercharged. I like both, and would take a Viper anyday over a Saleen, but the simple fact is, the Saleen is a underrated car. The price is a bit steep on it though, but it is also with the Cobra R.

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- Lotus -
For The Few Who Know The Difference

I don't know if it's underrated, but more underpublicized. No one ever doubts it's performance or power, but it doesn't get as much publicity, as often is the case with aftermarket tuned cars.

I think, while we're on the topic, there are plenty of tuners that don't get their "props". Lingenfelter would top my list of cinderellas.

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"Ferrari isn't a car, it's a lifestyle"
-Enzo Ferrari.

Well we know one thing for sure, Lingenfelter like you said and Hennessey get way more publicized than Saleen.

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- Lotus -
For The Few Who Know The Difference

I don't think that Lingenfelter gets more publicity than Saleen. I've never seen a lingenfelter Vette, nor do I see many when I thumb through DuPont Registry or Car and Driver. I see Saleen's on the road fairly often, and they're all over the place in DuPont.

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"Ferrari isn't a car, it's a lifestyle"
-Enzo Ferrari.

Quote: enzo@af ( 3:32 pm on Dec. 1, 2000 )

I don't think that Lingenfelter gets more publicity than Saleen. I've never seen a lingenfelter Vette, nor do I see many when I thumb through DuPont Registry or Car and Driver. I see Saleen's on the road fairly often, and they're all over the place in DuPont.

That is VERY true especially in DuPont. I meant less in Magazines.

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"Ferrari isn't a car, it's a lifestyle"
-Enzo Ferrari.

Well, they haven't changed too much lately, so reviews in magazines would be redundant.

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"Ferrari isn't a car, it's a lifestyle"
-Enzo Ferrari.

Wether this really factors in or not, the 'Saleen' look has been reproduced by so many different bolt ons, even a v6 stang can look like one, which I think de-sensitizes the general public. I know of many, many, many faux Saleens, but of only one real one (springfield, MO) I also think they aren't in many comparisons because they just dont have the sheer 'shock' factor as does the vipers bodylines (which, incidentally, are not reproduced in a bolt up kit, to my knowledge!) I do kinda have a beef with the Cobra R if I do say so myself, I think they kind of cut corners (in a sense) when they almost completely strip the interior and then put a ridiculous pricetag (in my opinion) on it! If I wanted a stripped interior, I would do it myself;)



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Andrew
73 240z, 78z turbo 2+2, 82zx

the saleens are very underrated, to bad the cobra r is so overrated, well at least the 2000 is, why spend that kinda of money when you can get a new z06 vette and have the comfort of a/c and heat and a radio and still be able to put out more hpw than the cobra r and out handle one and still cost about 15000 dollars less than a cobra r

Well, both the Z06 and Cobra R put out 385 hp and the same number for ft lbs, but I agree. The Z06 is a better car for it's creature comforts, less weight, and better handling. Of course, Redline is a little lower in the Z06, but that's okay.

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1 Corinthians 7:14

i highly agree with ya on that one

Just some trivia...there are "Viper" kits for cars. They're complete rebodies mostly based on C4 'vettes. Not the real look, but pretty cool in their own right.

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"Ferrari isn't a car, it's a lifestyle"
-Enzo Ferrari.

I agree... There is nothing better in that class than the Saleen S351. Hell, the S281 Turbocharged wouldn't be bad either :)

Stu

Turbocharged? Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought they were supercharged? Of course, either means justify the ends. Wonderful cars, fast as stink and gorgeous as well.

I too believe the S281 is supercharged via a roots blower, not a turbo. You're definitely right, the Saleen crowd of cars doesn't get the press that I feel it so rightly deserves. Road and Track made the comparison of its performance by price with a Lamborghini Diablo a few months back (at the drag strip anyway). You are getting a hell of a lot of power for the money with the S281, which is a much better buy than the S351, which actually has traction problems getting all that power transferred to the pavement. It's got wheelspin like you wouldn't believe!! It would probably be a burn-out king :) !!

As for the Z06 and Cobra R, they are both great packages. Both Ford and Chevy have clearly been at it trying to out-do the Viper and exotic competitors. I was amazed at the performance both offer as rated in this year's Motor Trend "high speed shoot out." But since the R tops a little over $55,000, the $47,000 Z06, in contemporary Corvette tradition, remains a performance bargain. I think the Z06 is one of the best sports cars in the world.. and that's high praise from a Honda guy like me.

Yeah, Saleen doesn't get much publicity. But then, the people who buy it don't care, they already know about it. I've seen them in several test, usually just a whole bunch of super-fast cars (li R&T quarter mile test, C&D 0-150-0)
Pretty fast, available from a dealership, and neat looking. I agree, the Cobra R is stupid, and they left in a few things that are frivolous (I think it still has power windows), so they really fudged it. The Z06 rules!, it has a bunch of niceties, and is fast. I do like Saleens, though.

not to pick fights, but saleen isnt a tuner. he is a small scale manufacturer.
just a thought...
i agree though, they are underadvertised...
but they are still asskicker cars
the only prob is that, like the 5gen lude, the stang has grown a bit, and looks like it has taken on some pounds... the older saleens were also campaigned more than the new ones... the newer saleens dont race as much...
i think that that is a huge factor

Everyone is saying how poorly covered the Saleen cars are, but they just had their best year in 2000. Saleen has such a strong word of mouth following that he does not have to push his name into magazines. They just opened their new place in August of 2001. You may see more of push from Saleen in the future now that they can handle higher volume. They have a new Ford Focus performance package now in addition to their S7 and Saleen based Mustangs. I test drove the new S281-E and it is the best Saleen based Mustang yet. It is fast, but the ride is nice. You have race car performance without the overly stiff race car ride.

That IS cool. I'd be very interested in the future to see what Saleen does with the Ford Focus!! I think that combo could really kick some ass!!! :cool:

saleen could do some cool stuff with the focus, but the focus is the ugliest car ive ever seen, and the zo6 kicks ass, especially the 2002, 405 horses from the factory.......55 grand......a/c, bose stereo, adjustable suspension, titanium exhaust.......its the luxury/exotic/performance bargain of the century, buy one now

Originally posted by JD@af
You are getting a hell of a lot of power for the money with the S281, which is a much better buy than the S351

if you're still referring to the 96-98 style s351 vs s281, i'd have to disagree. an s281 comes with: borla exhaust, plug wires, suspension upgrades, and a k&n filter for performance mods. an s351 comes with a 5.8L 351cu.in. centerfugal (vortech?) supercharged engine. a 96-98 s281 doesn't come with much more power than a stock gt, for a much higher cost.

didn't they have to duck tape the front end of the Cobra R to get it up to 150 mph?

I agree that Saleen is underrated for the most part due to the parts being widely available to the public. Most people can't tell the difference between a real and a fake half of the time unless they have a trained eye. I have a triple black 94 S-351 speedster that makes 430rwhp/430rwtq on the dyno (520 at the crank) running the conservative factory tune with the factory 6lb pulley on the Vortech.

does anyone have the specs for the Naturally aspirated 1995 S351?

Thanks

Edwin

does anyone have the specs for the Naturally aspirated 1995 S351?

Thanks

Edwin

5.8L 351ci Lightning shortblock. 30lb injectors. TFS or Twisted wedge heads, Saleen headers, Borla Catback exhaust. 371hp.

I think that the S351 Saleen is way underrated. I mean, the thing has more horses than a Viper GTS, does 0-60 in 4.6, has a top speed of like 167mph and has excellent handling... Yet no one seems to really do comparisons with it or anything. A nice comparo would be against the S351 and the Viper RT/10. Ones a V10 N/A, the other a V8 Suercharged. I like both, and would take a Viper anyday over a Saleen, but the simple fact is, the Saleen is a underrated car. The price is a bit steep on it though, but it is also with the Cobra R.

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- Lotus -
For The Few Who Know The Difference


I agree. I think the 94-95' S351 R-Code would be my choice between the 2. 510hp and 6-gears of pure fun!