What do you think of when you hear the name “Saleen”? We think of the Ford Mustang – lots of Mustangs, in fact. A certain high-performance Ford Explorer from the ’90s also comes to mind. And, of course, there’s the S7 supercar, a bonafide Amercan supercar, if not early hypercar.
Today, Saleen is working on a follow-up to the S7 called the S11. The new supercar has made its public debut at LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington. It’s the star attraction of the museum’s new The Birth of the American Supercar exhibition, which has been curated by company founder Steve Saleen himself. Visitors can see the first full-scale clay model of the S11 alongside design sketches of what the finished car will look like.
In a surprise twist, Saleen is also allowing the viewing public to weigh in on design decisions for the S11. Using an “American Idol” crowd-voting system, fans of the car will be able to choose certain design elements, both inside and out. This process will go on over the next 12 months, during which Saleen will release more details about the car, such as its engine, suspension, and technical specifications.
Everything We Know About The Saleen S11
Truthfully, we don’t know much, except that Saleen’s early design renderings and the full-scale clay model looks for all the world like a Ferrari SP3 Daytona – at least in profile. And that’s high praise, as we consider the SP3 to be a lonely island of beauty in Ferrari’s current sea of questionable designs.
What we can tell from the images is that the S11 will be a mid-engine hypercar. It will also most likely be powered by a V8, as that’s Saleen’s signature powertrain. It has an aggressive roof scoop for feeding air into the engine, as well as black air inlets ahead of the rear wheels that make the lower bodywork look like it’s disappearing into a shadow.
The car’s front-end styling is visible in some smaller design sketches in the background, but the images don’t have the resolution required for sussing out too many details. The car’s wheels are enormous with an attractive and simple five-spoke design that looks like fan blades, and the leading edge of the windshield reaches all the way past the front axle, terminating behind a pair of massive air extractors.
TopSpeed’s Take
Despite being a legitimate supercar and winning a number of trophies in motorsport, the Saleen S7 was never given the credit it deserved in the early 2000s. Perhaps it was the prevailing perception at the time that Saleen was merely a Mustang tuner and parts supplier, but the S7 never got a fair shake. Though we don’t know much at this time, it appears the S11 may not have that problem.
Remember, the S11 will be Saleen’s third original car after the S7 and the S1 that’s currently on sale. Saleen was also awarded the contract to assemble and paint the first-generation Ford GT, and it did all the paintwork for the Dodge Viper at one time. It’s built concept cars for OEMs, tuned everything from the Ford Focus to the F-150, and even stood on the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We have full faith that Saleen can rekindle those glory days with the S11, and applaud the out-of-the-box thinking that went into giving the public a hand in this new car’s creation.
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