Think back to the early 2000s, when cars like the Mustang were just beginning to return to their former glory of having a 300 horsepower V8 (and in some cases, factory supercharged), and muscle cars in general were beginning to see the light of day again. And then, you have cars like this 2005 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo – which many claim only twenty one examples were ever produced.
Flexing a half of a million dollar price tag back in the day, the twin turbocharged Saleen S7 was a pumped-up, competition version of the naturally aspirated-going S7. The “TT” model still rocked a modified 351W V8 stroked to 427 (not to be confused with the FE engines), but was also paired with a set of turbochargers. And at only 5 pounds of boost, this lightweight, mid-engine Ford-powered Supercar was pushing more than 750 horsepower and 750 lb-ft of torque, and could reach a top speed of nearly 250 mph (248 to be exact).
In the case of this Saleen S7 found on eBay, this car has an interesting back story to it. Finished in a custom “Bianco Fuji” pearl white hue borrowed from the famed Ferrari line of supercars, this S7 wears a salvaged title for an unfortunate minor accident, which the seller claims was only cosmetic.
Up for sale is a 2005 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo (one of 20 made) finished in custom Bianco Fuji (Ferrari) pearl white. “I purchased the car three years ago after it suffered minor nose damage,” the seller says. “The damage was all superficial with no mechanical damage whatsoever. Due to the body damage, it gave me the opportunity to paint the car a different (and unique) color, making it arguably one the of nicest S7s in existence today.”
Like any project no matter how small or how large it is, things sometimes don’t go as planned, as the owner of this Saleen S7 describes.
“As we commenced the repaint, it became immediately evident to my body shop that the car was not assembled well from the get go (when originally manufactured),” it detailed. “As I discovered from some of the factory techs, many of these cars were rushed during assembly in order to meet customer delivery deadlines. This resulted in a number of fit and finish issues completely unrelated to the accident.”
If you’ll recall, these cars were hand-built by the RML Group in the United Kingdom.
“Some of the wiring behind the dash was actually glued together with silicone globs! Inside the side-gill vents, the carbon surfaces had not been sanded, nor painted properly. All of the details – major and minor – were rectified, resulting in a finished product that is literally better than when it was new.”
The seller exclaimed that this unfortunately came at a cost which was initially only intended to be around $50,000 – but hand ended up costing more than double that in the end. Know anyone interested in owning a Saleen S7? The seller is currently asking just shy of $330,000 on eBay here.