This carbon-fibered, mid-engined rocket ship was not only a very capable street car, but was also a very successful racing car, winning many races in the FIA GT Championship, not to mention impressive results at the Sebring 12-hour race and at the LeMans 24-hour race.
There truly has been no American car to have accomplished what this car did in its short life time, so what many had been wondering is, will there be a sequel?
Back in 2008, Saleen had shown its next supercar, and it was called the S5S Raptor(shown above). This was a lighter and smaller car than the S7, and would have been priced at a more accessible level so it could compete with cars like the Ferrari F430, rather than going head-to-head with the $1-million Enzo.
However, there was trouble brewing over at Saleen. Steve Saleen, the man who started the company and built its reputation was forced out by its new partners, so the company that bared his name was no longer being run by him.
Not the type to stand still, Mr. Saleen started a new company called SMS Supercars, and started from scratch, but rather than just modify the Ford Mustang (which is what he based most of his Saleen business on), this time he modified the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger too.
While he could have been content running his new business, he wanted to win the rights to his name back and started a legal case to that effect. Just earlier this year, he got what he worked for. Mr. Saleen is back in control of the Saleen brand, and now he is talking about producing another supercar.
In a recent interview, Saleen mentioned that he is still “planning on doing something like that (S5S).” While he wouldn’t reveal much detail about his new supercar, he did say that when it arrives, it’ll probably have a new name.
Saleen will make a formal announcement regarding its future plans within the next three months, so we will have to wait and see what he has in store for us.
With his impressive reputation, we are sure his next supercar will be every bit as exciting as the S7. Can’t wait.