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Hypercar2024CuratedCurated

Saleen
S7 LM

7.0L Twin-Turbo V8 supplies 1,500 hp through RWD. The S7 LM weighs 2,750 lb, starts around $1.50M, and is listed at 2024 model-year specification. The catalog lists 0–60 mph in 2.2 seconds and a 290 mph top speed.

Saleen S7 — Speedlab Yellow
Saleen S7 — Speedlab Yellow
Saleen S7 — Speedlab Yellow1 / 2
Trims

Choose a trim · 2 available

Tap a trim to open its full page — specs, features, build configurator and a maintenance schedule tailored to that trim.

Features

What this car offers

Safety & driver assistance
  • Carbon monocoque
  • Roll cage
  • Airbags
  • Carbon ceramic brakes
Performance hardware
  • Carbon-ceramic brake rotors
  • Launch control
  • Adaptive / magnetorheological dampers
  • Electronic limited-slip differential
  • Multiple drive modes (Comfort / Sport / Track)
Cabin & technology
  • Digital instrument cluster
  • Premium leather upholstery
  • Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
  • Bluetooth + smartphone integration
  • Premium audio system
  • Heated and cooled seats
Safety rating
4/ 5
Value score
7.2/ 10

Performance, build, and ownership-cost composite.

Overview

About the Saleen S7 LM

The S7 is the only American car of its era that could genuinely be compared to a Le Mans prototype, because it more or less was one. Steve Saleen — a racer and Mustang tuner — designed and built it from scratch in 2000 as America's first mid-engined supercar with a carbon body and a steel-and-aluminium honeycomb spaceframe, and then went racing with it, taking the S7R to class wins at Le Mans and in the FIA GT championship.

The engine is a 7.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 in the original — Ford-derived but so heavily reworked by Saleen that it shares little — later twin-turbocharged for around 750 hp in the S7 Twin Turbo. The LM specification pushes it much further still, to around 1,500 hp.

The aerodynamics were the real story. The S7 produces its own weight in downforce at 160 mph, using enormous underbody tunnels and a ground-effect floor rather than a huge wing, which was extremely advanced thinking for a road car in 2000.

Everything about it is hand-built and slightly uncompromising: the cabin is offset to the right for the engine's induction, the doors are enormous, and visibility is limited.

Fewer than 100 exist across all variants. It remains the most serious American supercar attempt of the 2000s, and the direct ancestor of the argument the Corvette ZR1 is making today.

How to use

Owner's walkthrough

Practical guide for everything a new owner asks on day one — starting the car, finding the gear selector, drive modes, infotainment, driver aids, and easy-to-miss features.

01

How to start it

Step on the brake, press the engine start button on the console or steering column; wait for the cluster to confirm ready before shifting out of P.

02

Where the gear selector is (and how to use it)

Console-mounted shifter with R-N-D-S notches; paddles behind the wheel for manual gear control. If you ordered the manual, the gate is dog-leg first-down on most performance variants — read the shift-knob diagram before you pull away cold.

03

Drive modes

Drive modes are accessed via the drive-mode selector on the console. Available modes typically include Normal, Sport, Eco. Each mode reshuffles throttle mapping, steering weight, adaptive dampers (if equipped), exhaust valves, and stability-control thresholds. On performance trims, an 'Individual' or 'Custom' slot lets you save your favorite combination so you can recall it with one click instead of nesting through menus.

04

Cluster & head-up display

The driver display is a Digital cluster. Use the steering-wheel left thumb-pad to cycle layouts (Classic, Sport, Navigation, Minimal). When in Sport / Track mode the cluster automatically swaps to a wide tach with gear indicator and tire-temperature readout. The head-up display brightness, height, and content are configured from Settings → Displays → HUD.

05

Infotainment & voice control

Infotainment runs on Central touchscreen with smartphone mirroring. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard; pair from Settings → Connections the first time, then it auto-connects whenever your phone is in range. Steering-wheel push-to-talk wakes the in-car assistant for nav, climate, calls, and messaging without touching the screen. The main display also hosts vehicle-specific apps: tire pressures, performance data recorder (where fitted), drive-mode customizer, and the camera views.

06

Driver assistance

Standard driver aids include adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Toggle each system individually from the driver-assist menu (steering-wheel left-pad → Assistance). Highway-driving assist (hands-off in marked lanes on supported roads), automatic lane-change on indicator tap, traffic-jam assist for stop-and-go, and a 360° surround camera with transparent-hood mode are all available and worth enabling for the first time before driving in heavy traffic.

07

Fueling

Premium unleaded (91 or 93 octane) is required on Saleen performance models — the engine timing is set for it and lower octane causes audible knock and reduced power. Fuel-cap release is a button on the driver door panel; the cap is capless (just push the nozzle in).

08

Keys & phone-as-key

Beyond the physical key, this car supports Smart key. Set up phone-as-key from the Manufacturer app app: it provisions a secure credential to your phone's wallet so a tap on the door handle unlocks the car and placing the phone on the wireless charging pad authorizes ignition. You can also share temporary keys to family members (with optional speed and area limits on performance trims) directly from the app.

09

First-week tips & easy-to-miss features

A few things every new owner tells us they wish they'd known on day one:

  • Always use the front-axle lift before driveways and speed bumps — it stores the lift point in GPS so the car raises automatically next time.
  • Warm tires and oil for at least 8–10 minutes before using Race / Track mode; cold rubber on this much power is the #1 cause of off-throttle spins.
  • Download the brand app (Manufacturer app) and pair it with your VIN before your first long trip — remote climate, charging/fuel-level checks, and remote lock-status save you walking back to the garage in winter.