May 18, 2009Say YES to the Saleen S7

photo via cargurus.com

If you’ve been following URR on Twitter then you know that we report all unusual, rare, or awesome vehicle sightings that we encounter throughout our travels.  In New York City, Aston Martin, Maserati, Lamborghini, Maybach, and Bentley/Rolls sightings have become all too commonplace.  Down in South Florida, where I tend to visit at least a few times a year to visit family, Aston Martins and Lamborghinis might as well be Hondas and Toyotas…they’re everywhere.  Do these people mortgage their homes to buy these cars?  Do they even have homes or just $100K+ cars?  

I think the boom might have destroyed these cars for me.  When you see something over and over again, it really loses its novelty.  Haven’t these companies heard of the “limited edition”?  Perhaps the recession will be good for the car-infatuated as fewer of these exceptional vehicles are likely to be on the road, making the sightings all the more exciting.

Numb from the number of times I’ve seen exotic cars coursing through the streets of Manhattan, few supercar sightings hold much intrigue and I certainly didn’t expect to see anything that would wow me during my most recent trip to Saratoga Springs, NY for a a little weekend getaway.  

WRONG.  The Saleen S7 is an elusive American-made supercar.  Introduced in 2000, the S7 boasts a 0-60 mph of THREE seconds and a top speed of 200-250 mph.  The S7 won four GT championships in 2001 and broke numerous records at the 24-Hour Le Mans race.

The first Saleen model that is not based on an existing car, the S7 was produced with a 550 horsepower V8 engine between 2000 and 2004 and was upgraded to a 750 horsepower twin-turbo system in 2005 (bringing the top speed to 250 mph).  The post-2005 S7 models are priced at over $500,000.

Imagine my utter shock when I landed behind a Saleen S7 cruising down Broadway in Saratoga Springs!  Wowww.

photo via carphotos.org

photo via newcoolcars.com