The Saleen S5S Raptor: whatever happened to America's Ferrari F430 rival?

What is it?

America’s would-be Ferrari F340 rival: the Saleen S5S Raptor. Cool name. A 5.0-litre supercharged V8 good for 650bhp would’ve blown the F430, Gallardo and 911 Turbo of the day into the weeds.

Did they build any?

Just one concept model. The S5S debuted at the 2008 New York Motor Show, mere weeks (and a few city blocks) away from the epicentre of the 2008 financial crisis. The downturn killed off the Raptor and forced Saleen into turmoil, with founder Steve Saleen leaving the company.

Where is it now?

Saleen still apparently trades with tuning packages for the Mustang, Bronco and F-Series pickup trucks, and its website still parrots racing and road versions of the ‘S1’ supercar revealed in, um, 2017. Price? TBC. But a website pop-up politely invites you to invest to make the project happen...