Champagne Reception Accompanies Delivery of 
First Saleen S7 Road Car

“A Lady in Red” Makes a High-Performance Debut”

For the past year the S7 has been burning up the road circuits of America and Europe, winning four different GT Championships during 2001, a remarkable feat for an all-new car. And while the S7 continues its winning ways in 2002, and is set for a repeat appearance at the most prestigious endurance race in the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it placed third in class last year, the key ceremony is the fulfillment of a promise made by Steve Saleen at the very beginning of the S7 project. 

“We will race the S7,” Saleen said, “because much of what we have learned about how to make a better performing Mustang for the street came from our racing. We will apply similar lessons from the S7 in competition to the street version we will produce.”

Manufacturing and marketing a fully DOT and NHTSA certified automobile isn’t easy and this is especially true of a small manufacturer like Saleen. But Saleen has been doing just this with his high-performance Mustangs since 1994. 

“Some people don’t realize, Steve continued, “that the Mustangs we sell are certified for sale in all 50 states. That’s why the delivery of this car to Jerry and Kathy is such an important step for this company. No one else in America has done what we have done: Start with an initial concept and build a ground-up fully certified mid-engine supercar.”

“Besides being drop-dead gorgeous and offering incredible performance, we believed in Steve’s commitment to the S7 by being the first to put down a $100,000 deposit with our S7 dealer, Motorcars International,” said Jerry Ritzow. He and his wife live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where Jerry founded an aquarium manufacturing company in 1967, which has grown to be the largest in the world.

Jerry has always been interested in fast cars, but during the last 10 years the interest has turned into a serious hobby. “Kathy and I both enjoy cool cars,” Jerry says, “and we’ve added a number of them to our collection over the last several years.”

In addition, Jerry has attended a number of racing schools including Buck Baker for stock car racing, Skip Barber for road racing and the Frank Hawley drag racing school. 
Obviously, the first of many S7s to come has been handed over to four very enthusiastic and competent hands.

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Saleen S7 Takes On The Most Exclusive Cars In The World

The S7 is designed to compete with the fastest, quickest, best handling, most luxurious grand touring cars in the world, while providing a distinctly American driving experience for the fortunate few who will own one.

From Concept To Customer In Just 18 Months

Designed, engineered, certified, manufactured, and marketed by Saleen, the S7 was conceived to combine the performance of a track-only racecar with the driving pleasure of a road car. 

Working with some of the world’s most respected and technologically advanced automotive suppliers, the Saleen S7 will have gone from concept to first customer deliveries in just 18 months. 

When designing the S7, Saleen put drivability on a wide variety of road conditions high on the list of objectives.  And, while the S7 would be at home on any racetrack, it is also a car that can be driven with pleasure on highways, autobahns and back roads.    

The Saleen S7 architecture begins with a space frame chassis to which honeycomb composite reinforcing is grafted.  Suspension is fully independent unequal length “A” arms.  The S7 chassis and suspension are the result of Saleen’s years of racing, racecar building and high performance road car manufacturing experience.  Famed British racing house Ray Mallock, Ltd. (RML) was enlisted to assist with the design and building of the chassis and packaging of the S7’s advanced suspension system.       

Saleen Designed Engine and Drive Train

The S7 engine and drive train are Saleen designed and incorporate modern racing motor technology and engineering.  Saleen/Allen Speedlab race team engine builder, Bill Tally, is the engine’s designer.  Based on a Ford-cast all aluminum block re-engineered by Saleen, the cam-in-block 7-litre motor generates 550 horsepower at 6400 rpm.  Redline is 7000 rpm.  The motor delivers 520 foot-pounds of torque at 4000 rpm.  Space age materials and engineering are used throughout: magnesium throttle body and intake manifolds, carbon fiber induction system, stainless steel valves, titanium retainers, beryllium exhaust valve seats, ceramic coated stainless steel exhaust system, and race-derived all-aluminum CNC machined Saleen designed heads.

Exclusive Saleen Features

An exclusive Saleen-designed Front Engine Accessory Drive (FEAD) system results in an extremely compact motor, allowing for better packaging and overall weight distribution. The motor incorporates a unique Saleen-designed side mounted water pump, extremely accurate belt-driven camshaft drive, and a Saleen-engineered dry sump oil delivery system. 

The engine’s mid-chassis placement optimizes weight distribution and center of gravity, making room for an unusually tall engine that allows for a very efficient plenum arrangement.  With true “downdraft” induction, fuel is fed through matched trumpets in a straight shot to the ports. 

A Saleen PowerFlash control system computer handles engine management.  The ignition system is integrated coil-on-plug.    

A new generation longitudinally mounted six-speed transaxle, with unique Saleen bell housing, transfers power to the wheels.  The clutch is a metallic 5.5 inch, four plate unit with hydraulic actuation.  

Shape Designed By The Wind

The S7’s shape was “designed” by the wind.  Optimal aerodynamics and no compromise top speed performance objectives where achieved with extensive wind tunnel work.  Targets were low co-efficient of drag, optimum drag-to-lift ratio, and extreme down force.  The S7 has “full tray” body sculpting underneath.  With its extreme ground effects engineering, at 160 mph the car could be driven upside down and still stay attached to the road.

With the performance targets met, longtime Saleen design consultant Phil Frank then personalized and refined the aesthetics of the S7 with the addition of signature Saleen elements.  

The gill-like ducting is, of course, fully functional.  The autoclave carbon fiber body panels beautifully incorporate the advanced aerodynamics and include: integrated split-channel air flow throughout the car, full underside air management, advanced front tray and side skirt designs, and integrated full body wing.   

Every Comfort for the High Performance Driver

As much care has been given to the creature comforts of the Saleen S7 as to its performance.  Great attention was given to seating position.  The car features asymmetrical seating, with the driver position moved slightly more to the center than the passenger. This improves the driver’s ergonomics, improves the weight distribution, and allows the passenger side to have a narrower threshold.  The S7 is unusually accommodating of tall drivers. 

Upholstery is covered with Connolly leathers and suedes.  Accents are brushed aluminum and painted body-color highlights.  Air conditioning, power windows, adjustable pedals, and a 6-disc CD player are all standard.  The Saleen S7 has two unique interior features.  The first is a live video rear view “mirror” – there is a small video camera inconspicuously mounted in the rear of the car – and the second is a steering wheel that can be removed if wished to ease ingress and egress.   

The mid-engine Saleen S7 has front and rear trunks and comes with fitted luggage.  In true supercar style, the doors open up and away from the body.      

"The car, when seen in person, has an amazing presence,” 

"It is quite long and wide, and only 41 inches high, which adds to its  exotic appearance.

 We wanted a ‘form-follows-function’ look, but also one that was beautiful. 

 I’d say we succeeded!” 

  -  Steve Saleen, founder and president of Saleen, Inc.

Superior Components from Around the Globe

While the S7 is an American supercar, the vehicle itself reflects a “best-in-practice” philosophy, where Saleen has incorporated superior components from around the globe in order to manufacture the best vehicle possible.  For example, the Saleen S7 utilizes Brembo brakes from Italy as well as numerous high technology pieces from companies located in the Midlands area of the United Kingdom, a region that is to motorsports what the Silicon Valley is to computers. The S7 was wind tunnel tested at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

The Saleen S7 will be initially sold in both the United States and United Kingdom.  Designed and built at Saleen's Irvine, California manufacturing facility, the S7 is sold in the U.S.  through Saleen Certified dealers specializing in exotic automobiles.  Vehicles for Europe and the Middle East will be produced at a satellite facility located in England. Worldwide volume is projected to be 300-400 cars over the estimated five-year production run.  Work has begun on a less-expensive, higher volume model that will help achieve sales goals.