The Saleen 1, also called the Saleen S1, is a two-seater sports car developed and built by American automobile manufacturer
Saleen Automotive. It was unveiled at the
2017 LA Auto Show, and is the first car developed entirely by Saleen since the
Saleen S7
Saleen Automotive, Inc., commonly known as Saleen (/səˈliːn/), is an American manufacturer of specialty high-performance sports cars and high-performance automotive parts. Saleen is headquartered in Corona, California, US. On June 26, 2013 Sal ...
ended production in 2009.
Production of the Saleen 1 is planned to be 1,500 units yearly, with a starting price of US$100,000 each.
Specifications
Powertrain
The Saleen 1 is powered by a proprietary 2.5 litre
turbocharged inline-four engine
A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft.
The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...
developed by Saleen (based on the GM LKW Ecotec3 engine, it has a cast aluminum cylinder block with cast-in iron liners and uses a forged steel crankshaft),
with an bore and stroke, and rated at and of torque.
The engine is mid-rear, transversely mounted and drives the rear wheels.
Transmission
The Saleen 1 is equipped with a 6-speed
manual transmission
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system, where gear change ...
as standard, however a
paddle shift automatic transmission is expected to be offered as an option.
Suspension
The Saleen 1 uses
double wishbone suspension
A double wishbone suspension is an independent suspension design for automobiles using two (occasionally parallel) wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. Each wishbone or arm has two mounting points to the chassis and one joint at the knuckl ...
on the front and rear axles of the vehicle, allowing for easier tuning of suspension
kinematics and properties such as
camber angle
Camber angle is one of the angles made by the wheels of a vehicle; specifically, it is the angle between the vertical axis of a wheel and the vertical axis of the vehicle when viewed from the front or rear. It is used in the design of steering a ...
or
toe
Toes are the digits (fingers) of the foot of a tetrapod. Animal species such as cats that walk on their toes are described as being ''digitigrade''. Humans, and other animals that walk on the soles of their feet, are described as being ''plan ...
.
Wheels
The car is equipped with alloy wheels with diameters of 20 inches at the front and rear. The
Continental
Continental may refer to:
Places
* Continent, the major landmasses of Earth
* Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US
* Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US
Arts and entertainment
* ''Continental'' ( ...
tires have
codes
In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...
of 255/30 ZR 20 for the front and 335/25 ZR 20 for the rear.
The brake calipers and rotors measure 15 inches in diameter at the front and the rear.
Interior features
The interior of the Saleen 1 is finished mostly in leather, suede, and
Alcantara. Other amenities include
Sirius radio
Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio ( SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings.
Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially la ...
,
Apple CarPlay, and a six-speaker sound system.
Performance
The manufacturer claims a top speed of for the Saleen 1. The car has claimed acceleration times of 3.5 seconds for and 11.3 seconds for the quarter mile.
These acceleration times are achieved through a power-to-weight ratio of 0.17 hp/lb (0.28 kW/kg). The Saleen 1 is also capable of 1.2g of lateral acceleration in a turn.
Racing
Saleen Cup
The Saleen Cup was launched in partnership with
SRO Motorsports Group in 2019 to demonstrate the capabilities of the S1.
A modified version of the Saleen 1, called the Saleen Cup car, is the exclusive car raced in the series. The Cup car features race-spec aerodynamics,
FIA
FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used.
Fia or FIA may also refer to: People
* Fia Backs ...
standard safety equipment, and slick racing tires.
The Saleen Cup series consists of eight races at four tracks around the United States, listed below:
The 2020 Saleen Cup was cancelled the weekend before its scheduled opening event.
GT4
Saleen plans to further modify the Saleen 1 Cup car for
GT4 homologation for the 2020 season. Saleen's plan includes the introduction of a factory racing team, with at least one driver sourced from the winners of the summer 2019 Saleen Cup.
References
{{reflist
External links
Saleen 1 official website
2010s cars
Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Saleen vehicles
Sports cars
Cars introduced in 2017