Saleen S5S Raptor Concept

[AM]

Saleen S5S Raptor Concept

At a quick glance, you might think this car is Italian--a Lamborghini perhaps, or even a Ferrari. This yellow supercar is all-American, however. The Saleen S5S Raptor made its world debut at the New York Auto Show, putting an exclamation point on the specialty manufacturer's recent reinvention of itself.

Considerably more restrained than Saleen's previous supercar the S7, the S5S Raptor features clean lines sculpted in lightweight composites. A solar-tinted glass roof allows daylight in, and the purposeful mid-engine design looks world-class.

Saleen's racing heritage is obvious at the S5S Raptor's heart, a new 5.0 liter supercharged V8. This 650-horsepower, 630 lb-ft torque engine runs on ethanol, just like the IRL and American Le Mans cars, and Saleen reports a 3.2-second 0-60mph time and a top speed of over 200mph. Saleen chose the ethanol burning engine partly as a nod to the track and partly to consider reduced emissions and oil dependence. The engine uses a twin-screw supercharger and is hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission. The Raptor is also designed to handle a paddle-shifted sequential gearbox, if desired.

Double wishbones are used at all four corners, and the massive fifteen-inch front, thirteen-inch rear brakes are augmented by ABS and traction control. The 20-inch forged aluminum wheels have a black diamond and carbon-fiber finish.

That's all very exciting, but it's all just bench talk until the rubber hits the road. Saleen says that the S5S Raptor could be on the road in two years at an estimated $185,000 MSRP, depending on the public's reaction to this car. Saleen seems to have thought this through, so it's a good bet that we'll see a roadgoing Raptor in the near future.

-Saleen/WCF

[gowthead]

ang ganda.. specialy the front view... sayang ang SAMA lng ng pangalan.. RAPTOR!!!..very american.. very cheesy...

[Accord GTR]

ang ganda.. specialy the front view... sayang ang SAMA lng ng pangalan.. RAPTOR!!!..very american.. very cheesy...

Actually, that depends who your talking to.   Raptor is also the name of the F-22 stealth fighter plane.  It means "bird of prey".  Eagles and falcons are considered raptors, not just that dinosaur you saw in Jurassic Park.

I think that's even better than naming it for a prize bull or toro (Lambo Murcialago) or just using numbers the way Mercedes Benz and BMW does.  Even Porsche has started to give their cars names instead of just numbers...  Do you know Cayman is a species of crocodile that is smaller than the "average" croc?  It's really ugly.   

[speedyfix]

the rear spoiler looks like it belongs on a honda NSX.

[gowthead]

hehe.. well ciguro spanish, italian and even japanese names has a better ring to it lang mas bagay ipangalan sa kotse. raptor,.. well it sounds nice on a fighter plane but for a beautiful car like that id rather name it somthig else.. cant think of one though .hehe

[El]

if i really had $200,000 to burn (in my dreams) for a car, I'd probably choose the gallardo over this, but still good looking nevertheless

[R-A-Y]

Love the windshield that extends all teh way into the back

[jUs-]

saw it in the flesh today at the NY Auto Show.

[johnqpublic318]

hehe.. well ciguro spanish, italian and even japanese names has a better ring to it lang mas bagay ipangalan sa kotse. raptor,.. well it sounds nice on a fighter plane but for a beautiful car like that id rather name it somthig else.. cant think of one though .hehe

Really?  Does Murano, Corolla, Corana, Skyline, Sentra, Fortuner, Dmax or Altera sound that much better?  How much do you really know about American cars?  At least Raptor is macho and really means something.  Wala ka lang alam.

[gowthead]

Really?  Does Murano, Corolla, Corana, Skyline, Sentra, Fortuner, Dmax or Altera sound that much better?  How much do you really know about American cars?  At least Raptor is macho and really means something.  Wala ka lang alam.

looks like you got my point...american, macho and cheesy.. just like a chuck norris movie...0 percent charisma...

[johnqpublic318]

looks like you got my point...american, macho and cheesy.. just like a chuck norris movie...0 percent charisma...

If a car like the Saleen Raptor with over 500hp is cheesy and has 0 % charisma then you might want to re-check your sexual preferences...

[Accord GTR]

hahaha  what's wrong with Chuck Norris movies?  I still enjoy watching them, even though by todays standards, they can be cheesy.   

[gowthead]

If a car like the Saleen Raptor with over 500hp is cheesy and has 0 % charisma then you might want to re-check your sexual preferences...

im talking about the name not the car... the car looks fine..in fact i like it... i just dont like the name... gets?

[gowthead]

hahaha  what's wrong with Chuck Norris movies?  I still enjoy watching them, even though by todays standards, they can be cheesy.   

well i guess its part of thier culture to name thier cars that way.. cant blame them for that hehe... but i still dont like the name...chuck norris movies?hehe.. how about micheal dudakoff movies...cheese galore!!...

[johnqpublic318]

im talking about the name not the car... the car looks fine..in fact i like it... i just dont like the name... gets?

B.S...  Don't side-step and try hide your bigotry and racism...  This is what you said and I quote: "american, macho and cheesy... just like a chuck norris movie...0 percent charisma..."

That's just not a comment about the name...  That's a criticism of the car being American and American culture...  Did you cry at Sadam's hanging?