Saleen, maker of countless Mustang-based hot rods and the S7 racecar, will unveil a midengine sports car concept at the 2008 New York Auto Show in March. Unlike the roughly $700,000 S7, which was a purpose-built racecar that was occasionally licensed for the street, the S5S Raptor is a vision for the "premium performance market with segment-leading horsepower." In other words, this will be a sports car designed primarily for the street instead of the track. Saleen says power will come from a supercharged 5.0-liter engine that runs on E85 ethanol. We expect that the Raptor's motor will be based on the supercharged 5.0-liter Ford-based V8 that already powers the company's S302E Mustang-based car. In the S302E, the engine is rated at 620 horsepower. That should give it the necessary oomph to make it to the 200 mph top speed Saleen is estimating.

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