Video: The American monster that conquered Europe’s best

Saleen is a name usually associated with tuned Ford Mustangs and other outrageous road cars, but at the turn of the millennium the California outfit went further than anyone expected. In 2000 it built its own supercar, the Saleen S7, and from that came the track-homologated S7-R. 

Fewer than 15 S7-R chassis were ever produced, each one built around a naturally aspirated 7.0-litre Ford-based V8 and a major reason why the car was such a crowd-puller at Spa; you don’t just hear an S7-R, you feel it.

Across its career, the S7-R amassed more than 78 race wins, 154 podiums and ten GT Championships in series like ALMS, Grand-Am and FIA GT. It even claimed class victories at enduros including the Le Mans 24 Hours, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Spa 24 Hours. At Spa-Francorchamps it still holds the fastest GT1 lap ever recorded, set back in 2008 — a reminder of the car’s raw pace.

One of the S7-R’s most memorable moments came in 2004 at the FIA GT Super Racing Weekend at Imola. Maserati had assembled VIPs and global press to celebrate the (assumed) debut victory of its new MC12 GT1. Ferrari’s CEO at the time, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, was among the guests. 

But Saleen didn’t get the memo, Vitaphone Racing’s S7-R, driven by Michael Bartels and Uwe Alzen, beat the MC12 outright. In a field stacked with Ferrari 550s, Ferrari 575s and Lamborghini Murcielagos, it was the lone American outsider that took the win. Afterwards Montezemolo conceded, “We were no match for the Saleen today.” The upset remains one of GT racing’s most famous.

All of which explains the grin Steve Brooks wears throughout this video. The S7-R isn’t just rare, loud and fast, it’s a giant slayer. And as Brooks reveals, there are few places where it feels more at home, or more alive, than Spa.