“Modern-era sports-racing cars are popular today for many reasons. You have to remember that throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, endurance racing was ruled by Group C prototypes. But the mid 1990s saw the re-emergence of the GT category and it proved to be a golden era punctuated with beautiful and technologically ground-breaking supercars. The Saleen S7R is one of those cars. Whereas the Aston Martin and Ferrari GT cars look like production cars drastically modified for competition, the Saleen looks exactly like the street car, just with a big wing on the back. Despite its imposing appearance and headline figures, the S7R’s performance is so accessible. In fact, it drives like an 1,100kg prototype. Sure, there’s some inertia, because of its weight, but it’s incredibly stiff and the downforce plays such a big role at high speeds. A Corvette or a Ferrari 550 might have more mechanical grip, but they won’t hold a candle to the Saleen over the course of a lap – GT2 cars instantly turn into mobile chicanes! What’s more, it’s very easy to run and, perhaps most importantly, is incredibly safe. This is definitely an important characteristic for today’s younger collectors.” Florent Moulin Modern-era competition car specialist | |
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