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The Saleen S7 and Koenigsegg CCX get on with a God-tier face-off of unreal performance and top-notch engineering.
When it comes to supercars, Saleen certainly doesn’t get the recognition that it deserves. The S7 slightly converted this general idea, this was Steve Saleen's first-ever newborn, meaning this was the first Saleen that wasn’t extracted from a Mustang, and unsurprisingly it was debatably the best Saleen ever created. The S7 made its debut at the Monterey Historic Races in 2001, and it was a big hit.
Five years later and in entered the Koenigsegg CCX, which was a complete revamp of their CCR supercar, it was created as a tribute to the tenth anniversary in which the prototype appeared from behind the curtain. Initially, the CCX was mocked for not attaining enough downforce, but quickly people started to believe the true potential of the CCX.
From their impressive powertrains to their absolutely beautiful exteriors, these two supercars are truly breathtaking, so let's see which one comes out on top.
Related: Here's What Everyone Forgot About The Saleen S7
Billy Tally designed and constructed a brand new naturally aspirated V8 engine with two valves per cylinder which were attached to a 6-speed transaxle transmission and 4-plate clutch. The newly constructed engine claimed to output 550 hp and 525 ft-lbs of torque. An impressive top speed of 220 mph could be reached while it was claimed that the S7 could go from 0-60 mph in just 2.8 seconds which let's face it, is fast!
A steel space frame was the backbone of the S7 while it was covered in carbon fiber to reduce the S7’s weight. Ultimate stopping power was achieved with ventilated discs with 6 pistons calipers on the front wheels while the rear wheels also consisted of validated brake discs.
As well as the Saleen S7’s brilliant engine, another brilliant statistic was achieved by the S7, this achievement was that at the time of the S7’s release it was the only road-legal car that had a power output over 500 hp. In 2005, the Saleen S7 got a facelift, and more importantly an "engine" lift.
Regarding the engine, it was upgraded to a huge 7.0-liter twin-turbo all-aluminum V8 which pumped the power up to a whopping 750 hp and 700 ft-lbs of torque, with the top speed now reaching 248 mph. Impressive!
Related: The Car That God Drives: Bruce Almighty's Saleen S7
Unlike the Saleen S7, the Koenigsegg CCX did 0-60 mph in a slightly slower time of 3.4 seconds while it boasted of a superior-top speed of close to 250 mph and earned them the title of the fastest production car, briefly in 2005 before Bugatti snatched it! The cima 6-speed manual transmission and twin-plate AP racing clutch were skilfully attached to the Koenigsegg V8 engine with dry-sump lubrication and twin Rotex centrifugal superchargers producing an insane amount of power, 806 hp and 678.6 ft-lbs of torque to be precise.
The front and rear suspension both included double wishbones alongside inboard hydraulic shock absorbers. Clever carbon-ceramic brake discs with 8-piston calipers were used on the front wheels while the rear wheels consisted of the same carbon-ceramic brake discs but with only 6-piston calipers, providing essential braking force for such a powerful and speedy motor.
Koenigsegg ran into trouble when it came to passing the new safety and bumper tests, they wanted to keep a similar shape that won the award of the fastest production car, although they needed to pass the safety test. They faced the inevitable head-on by formulating new body panels.
To conform to the requirements Koenigsegg reshaped the front of the CCX with a scoop for interior cooling and new wheel extractors behind the front arches alongside rocker panels that improved the aerodynamics massively. Jumping from the front to the rear, more space was created for the exhaust while upgraded ducting helped the bay of the engine stay much cooler.
Just like the Saleen S7, the Koenigsegg CCX received plenty of criticism, and it was said that they were copying Ford as their engines used Ford racing blocks. Due to the controversy surrounding the engine and its replication of Ford, Koenigsegg manufactured their block castings to eliminate the relation to Ford and the Mustang.
Related: Here's Why The Koenigsegg CCX Was So Special
After reviewing both the Saleen S7 and the Koenigsegg CCX on paper, understandably, they both had downfalls, but what cars don’t have any pitfalls? None is the short answer. In this instance both monsters sit side by side on the pedestal, this is because they are both supercars that are mostly disregarded, ignored, and completely underrated. They both deserve the recognition and credit that coincides with their sheer beauty and incredible performance statistics.
Tom is currently working as a radio presenter, film producer and also a writer. He is a true Mancunian, with a big passion for the media industry, he feels privileged to be in so many different sectors of the industry.