This Gorgeous 2003 Saleen S7 Has Been Stuck at the Dealership For Ages

This Saleen S7 rolled off the production line in Irvine, California, in October 2003. It had been ordered by a customer in Texas. The model had been unveiled three years before, on August 19, 2000, at the Monterey Historic Races, as the first to be designed and engineered by the firm since Steve Saleen had founded it back in 1983.

At the time, it was America's sixth mid-engine production sports car, following in the footsteps of the Pontiac Fiero, Consulier GTP, Vector W8, M12, and Mosler Raptor.

To roll out the S7 sports car, Saleen partnered up with Hidden Creek Industries and Ray Mallock Limited. HCI supplied the resources and financial funding, while RML came with the chassis, suspension, and aero bits. Phil Frank was the one who designed the body and interior CAD design.

The model seemed to check all the right boxes. It displayed a radical design, it was powerful, and it was lightning fast. The Saleen S7 is set in motion by an in-house developed, all-aluminum engine, a bored-and-stroke derivative of Ford's 351 Windsor small block, with a capacity of 427 cubic inches (7.0 liters).

It churns out 550 horsepower but Saleen thought it was not enough. So, in 2005, it came up with a more powerful twin-turbocharged engine, capable of delivering 750 horsepower and propel the car all the way to a top speed of 348 mph (399 kph).

However, there was more to it than that. Saleen offered an optional Competition Package, which increased the power by 33%, taking it all the way to 1,000 horsepower (1,014 metric horsepower).

The cars equipped with the Competition Package had a retuned suspension. They were instantly recognizable because they featured a revised front and rear diffuser. And they also received an optional aero package with a carbon fiber front and rear spoiler.

The car that we have right here is one of the few featuring the Competition Package, which turns them into land rockets. The model, chassis number 03-028, spent some of its life in Texas and then, Florida, before being purchased by the selling dealer a decade ago.

As if the butterfly doors were not enough to put this car in the spotlight everywhere it goes, it is finished in a head-turning Lizstick Red over a tan leather interior. There are fixed-back bucket seats with perforated inserts on board, positioned asymmetrically, with the driver's seat placed closer to the car's centerline.

The cabin of the Saleen S7 underwent a refresh half a year ago. That is when the upholstery covering the seats, sills, rear bulkhead, and Alcantara headliner were reupholstered.

An air conditioning system, power windows, AP Racing pedals, and a touchscreen Kenwood CD/DVD player are on board. The odometer reads 6,775 miles, covered in 21 years on the road, with only 45 of them added under the current ownership. So this 2003 Saleen S7 looks every inch a garage and trailer queen.

The mid-mounted 7.0-liter V8 sports an aluminum bloc, CNC-machined aluminum cylinder heads, a dry-sump lubrication, and a magnesium throttle body and intake manifold.

Redlining at 6,500 rpm, the engine is mated to a six-speed manual transaxle and sends the 1,000 horsepower straight to the rear wheels. A slip differential and a coilover suspension are also on the menu. The original clutch was replaced in 2014.

The car rides on staggered-dimension forged alloy center-lock wheels, measuring 19 at the front and 20 inches at the rear, wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires of 275/30 and 335/30. Black-painted aluminum Brembo slotted and ventilated brake calipers with six-piston calipers provide the stopping power.

The model comes with a clean Carfax report and a clean California title. However, three mileage entries recorded in 2018 show mileage that is higher than what the odometer reads right now.

The Saleen S7 is registered as a Planned Non-Operation in the state of California. This means that the vehicle will not be driven, towed, stored, or parked on public roads or highways for the entire registration year. Whoever wants to buy it will not be able to test-drive it on public roads prior to the purchase. The S7 has not passed a California emissions test.

The sports car was listed on Bring a Trailer. Bidding hit $550,000, but the dealership refused to sell the car. Similar examples were sold for over $655,000. According to classics.com, the average price of a Saleen S7 is $721,750. So that is probably what the dealer is expecting for this one, too.