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Old 11-04-2009, 12:24 PM   #1
nthfinity
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Default Saleen S5 Raptor: Almost a reality?



It's taken some time, but the S5 Raptor is now more than a pipedream

Houston Chronicle 11/03/09


The Raptor is designed to provide a truly American alternative to the European exotics.

Anyone thinking that Steve Saleen's departure from the company that bears his name would result in the end of supercars such as the famous S7 ... would be wrong. That's because Saleen, now based in Troy, Michigan, as opposed to its former headquarters in Irvine, California, has unveiled an all-new supercar concept called the S5S Raptor.

Unlike the S7, which was a barely-civilized race car, the new S5S Raptor is "primarily a street vehicle," according to Saleen, although it stresses that the Raptor's dynamic qualities "will not be compromised." Officials went on to say the Raptor "is designed to provide a truly American alternative to the European exotics."

Power will come from a mid-mounted 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 putting out 650 bhp at 6300 rpm and 630 lb.-ft. of torque at 4400 rpm. The engine is designed to run on E85; what's more, unlike today's flex-fuel cars, this one is apparently dedicated to ethanol: "By using ethanol fuel, the powertrain is able to run higher compression and yield approximately 5 percent more horsepower than our normal 5.0-liter supercharged engine," the company says.

A 6-speed manual transmission will come standard in the Raptor, with a paddle-shift sequential gearbox optional. The performance meter should be pegged: Saleen estimates 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds, the quarter mile in 10.9 sec. and a top speed over 200 mph.

The Raptor's aluminum chassis and composite body panels happen to be very similar in size to Ferrari's F430. And although the new Saleen rides on a 106.3-in. wheelbase that's identical to the S7's, the Raptor is 13 in. shorter and 5 in. taller, the last dimension no doubt an attempt to make the new car more people-friendly.

Suspension is composed of double wishbones front and rear. The front brakes have 15.0-in. rotors with 6-piston calipers, while the rears are 13.0 in. with 2-piston calipers. Lots of rubber will keep this new Saleen glued to the road: 275/35R-20s up front and 315/35R-20s at the rear.

It also appears that besides the S5S Raptor being a more road- and people-friendly car than the S7 (which is no longer for sale in the U.S., although it is still exported to foreign lands), it will be a lot kinder on your wallet: Saleen expects to sell it for $185,000, compared with the S7 Twin Turbo's price of $580,000.
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Old 11-04-2009, 12:59 PM   #2
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Will this be a replacment for the s7?
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Old 11-04-2009, 02:40 PM   #3
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Interesting. I wonder if it will be any good. They'll need it to sell well given that their current Mustang offerings aren't terribly unique.
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Old 11-04-2009, 02:46 PM   #4
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Is it in Forza 3? If not, then they are missing ou ton the only marketing that counts

Maybe they can get it slipped into GT5 and that way every rich kids dad will be begged to buy one, instead of a Fezza..
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Old 11-04-2009, 04:55 PM   #5
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looks better than the mclaren mp4-12c IMO
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Old 11-04-2009, 06:46 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by fordgt84 View Post
looks better than the mclaren mp4-12c IMO

Quite a bit better.
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Old 11-04-2009, 08:08 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Minacious View Post
Quite a bit better.
Which is odd... when a slew of not so great looking supercars come out, the medicore ones look fantastic. I remember when the concept was first shown, my complaint was that the S5 Raptor was "not enough Saleen" style to it.
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Old 11-04-2009, 10:08 PM   #8
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It seems that "not much Saleen" is appropriate given that the man has moved on to SMS, hehe.
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Old 11-04-2009, 07:42 PM   #9
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It looks really good, the S7 is one of my favorite supercars of all time, I hope this to be good.
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Old 11-04-2009, 10:37 PM   #10
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The only problem is that they can't call it the Raptor now.
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Old 11-05-2009, 02:57 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by HeilSvenska View Post
The only problem is that they can't call it the Raptor now.
you can call it a Saleen S5 Raptor

Or, just have the chinese build it, and say "to hell with trademarks, and copyrights!"
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Last edited by nthfinity; 11-05-2009 at 03:04 AM.
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Old 11-06-2009, 10:13 AM   #12
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still like the s7
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