Now that Steve Saleen, founder of tuning firm Saleen Autosport and creator of the original Saleen S7 supercar, has won back the right to the legal use of his name on new products, the former racer-turned-automotive-entrepreneur is now looking towards his next big project.
Saleen is still at the helm of his latest tuning firm, SMS Supercars, and churning out a number of high-horsepower muscle cars.
However, the 63-year-old still has ambitious plans to launch more high-end models, including a new supercar based on the S5S Raptor Concept unveiled at 2008’s New York Auto Show.
"We're still planning on doing something like that," Saleen told Autoweek during a recent interview. "That's still a part of our plan. The S5S is still in our planning."
Saleen wasn’t willing to reveal when we might see the new car, though he did say that when it finally arrives it will likely be called something else.
Before that, Saleen will make a new-vehicle announcement that he says will be somewhat of a different direction. The announcement will be made within the next three months so we should have more details on it very soon.
The original S5S Raptor Concept was built around a lightweight aluminum chassis and powered by mid-mounted supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine delivering 650 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque. It was claimed to be capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in just 3.2 seconds and reaching a top speed of 200 mph.
