Saleen S7 Top Speed!

[Mike36]

Does anybody no the actual top speed of the S7. I have seen 200+ and over 200, but does anybody have an official figure.

[hakka]

I've heard it's 200 flat...that's straight from Saleen.

[Gunman]

Until Saleen hands the keys over to one of the magazines to test, I'll take thier numbers with a grain of salt.

[vectorclub]

I did an interveiw with Steve Saleen and have followed his career for many years. One thing Saleen does not do is give false performance numbers. The S7 has proven to be a good car on the race tarck and when I was interveiwing in September they were focusing on delivering their first customer cars. I have no reason to believe the S7 will not reach 200 miles per hour. Saleen is one of the most respected men in the auto industry. If these numbers came from Gerald Wiegert then I would not trust them. In a few years I think we will see that S7 is the great car they said it would be.

[DavidG]

damn i wish i can say ferrari, cause i a big ferrari lover

but the truth is McLaren is the fastest

lets see when the F60 is release whats gonna be the story

[vectorclub]

Ferrari has already stated they have no goals of beating the McLAren F1 in terms of top speed with the F60. Projected top speed is 207 mile sper hour. However they believe they will faster then the McLaren from 0-60 and down the quarter mile. As the years march on someone will knock McLaren off the top speed list. These days manuafctures know 0-60 times and quarter mile times is enough to get most buyers excited.

I would not be surprised to see VW/Audi create a car to take on the McLaren top speed record. Their new Bugatti is projected to go 250 miles per hour, but that has not been proven yet.

VW ran a test of their new super car with the VW badge on it. They claimed they took the 5000 miles top average speed record along with some others. Personally I would like to see one of the American car builders take a crack at McLaren. Maybe Saleen could do altered version of the S7 or someone could take the new Cadillac V-12 and stuff it into something very aerodynamic.

[DavidG]

Originally posted by vectorclub
These days manuafctures know 0-60 times and quarter mile times is enough to get most buyers excited.

someone could take the new Cadillac V-12 and stuff it into something very aerodynamic.

true i dont think you can reach 220+mph at the highway now adays too much traffic , and dont even think about doing it in LA

lets see if cadilac goes ahead w. the CIEN project i dont think it will beat the McLaren but if they DO use the V12 doing 750+hp that thing will be sweet.......

eventually some1 will break the record, but this days no1 is looking for that record, no point for street driving

sure is an awesome machine:sun: i want it

[vectorclub]

Cien is a pure show car. GM has already stated they will not produce the car. It looks to me like Bob Lutz is having GM develop a V-12 for his side project, the Cunnigham. The V-12 will likely find its way into something GM makes someday.

Something tells me someone is making something to beat McLaren, but they are trying to keep it under wraps until it is developed. The desire to be the fastest production car on the planet is something many CEOs want to have for thier company.

We will just have to wait and see what the next 5 years brings us. Maybe when McLaren finsihes with the MB project they will go for a new version of the McLaren F1.

Your right about traffic is LA, you can't hardly hit 60 miles per hour before you have to jam on the brakes. Maybe car nuts in Claifornia can encourage an autobahn bewteen LA and the SF Bay Area. 600 miles of open road with no speed limits. I bet we could sell the public on the idea based on the idea that it could improve the flow of products and people in Cali, plus it would become a tourist attraction.

It could work. The number 3 tourist attraction in SF is the coin operated toilet booths. :silly2:

[hakka]

Originally posted by vectorclub

VW ran a test of their new super car with the VW badge on it. They claimed they took the 5000 miles top average speed record along with some others. Personally I would like to see one of the American car builders take a crack at McLaren. Maybe Saleen could do altered version of the S7 or someone could take the new Cadillac V-12 and stuff it into something very aerodynamic.

the record VW broke was from a stock 1990 ZR-1, that did 175mph for 5000 miles. The VW did something like 180. Americans have already taken a crack at the top speed record, with Callaway's Sledhammer Vette, that had a 154.6mph top end.

[vectorclub]

. Americans have already taken a crack at the top speed record, with Callaway's Sledhammer Vette, that had a 154.6mph top end.

Callaway is more German then American. There isn't much left of a Corvette after Callaway gets done with it. The record McLaren holds has not had an American production company make a serious effort to beat it. The S7 is as close as to a real effort (and they used British designers to help make the car). General Motors new V-12 could be the engine needed for an American car builder to achive a speed above the 250 miles per hour mark.

I don't think VW will hold the 5000 miles top average speed record for very long. McLarens top speed record may stand another 5 years.

[hakka]

Why do you say it is more German than American? Callaway Cars are based in New Jersey, I think. I thought the only thing german about it was the first owner..

[vectorclub]

I had been told most of their R&D and production was done in Germany by a friend of mine. After visiting the thier site I think New England and Connecticut. The orginal owners Father was a key to funding the company and he is from Germany. That is what I get for listening to hear say versus seeing it for myself. I guess my friend confussed the gErman dad with the son here in the USA.:o

[DavidG]

Originally posted by vectorclub
I had been told most of their R&D and production was done in Germany by a friend of mine.

he is pretty good then to be designing cars




j/k i know what you mean

[ooryl146]

I've read it can hit 220 mph.

[vectorclub]

The S7 is a great car, but in street legal from it will do only 200 mph or so it is claimed. There has been no real test of the street version that I am aware of. Last I checked the production models will roll off starting in June. The 220 mph might be with a Saleen S7R used on the race track.

I believe in Steve Saleen and expect him to deliver a great production version of the S7. It will just be a question of when we will see it. I would guess the end of the year will be when production will start.