Two-Valve, Pushrod Technology is Still King of the Supercar Hill
Have you ever seen a Saleen S7? The closest most people ever get to America's mid-engine supercar is either at an auto show or on the small screen in the Gillette Mach 3 Turbo ad.
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| The all-American Ferrari-killing Saleen S7 is mighty rare, but nevertheless has found a niche in the affluent supercar enthusiast market. (Photo: Saleen) |
The all-American Ferrari-killer is a project in literal motion, a car constantly being revised in the micro-automaker's pursuit to be the best, and resultantly win sales from a very small target niche.
The simplest way to get attention, and one that is often used in this game of ultimate power broking, is to up engine performance. Sweden's super carmaker Koenigsegg has recently done just that with its updated CCR, while other sports car marques continue to increase the ante in the horsepower poker play.
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| With wallet crushing supercars like the S7, the fastest way to get even more attention is to push the engine performance even higher. (Photo: Saleen) |
In this game the higher the numbers, the more respect you get. Therefore, for the 2004 model year the mid-engined S7 is boosted to 575 horsepower.
The S7's motor, a 7.0 liter V8, is loosely based on Ford's NASCAR V8 block, but Saleen has thoroughly re-worked the powerplant. The block, heads, and crankshaft are Saleen's own creations, and cast from aluminum and forged steel. There are however fundamentals that have not been changed. For one, the V8 is still a 2-valve per cylinder unit with pushrods - unconventional in the modern day supercar scene.