2008 Saleen S7-R

To be offered on Friday, 9 June 2023

€1,200,000 - €1,500,000 EUR

First unveiled in 2000, the dramatic Saleen S7 featured a honeycomb-reinforced spaceframe chassis, and an all-aluminium 7-litre Ford Windsor-derived V-8 engine boasting some 550 horsepower. The S7 was swiftly followed by its racing derivative, the S7-R, with construction initially being entrusted to UK-based Ray Mallock Limited before renowned French constructor Oreca took over production of late-series cars. Significantly, the final four Oreca chassis—of which this is the last—featured a modified rear chassis and transverse six-speed Xtrac gearbox; the latter designed to address the poor reliability of the longitudinal units fitted to earlier cars.

Delivered in March 2008 to Team Larbre Competition of France, chassis 082R made its race debut in the 2009 1000 Kilometres of Catalunya; the first round of that year’s Le Mans Series (LMS). Driven by established Larbre pilots Roland Bervillé, Sébastien Dumez and Steve Zacchia, the trio finished 22nd overall and 3rd in class. At the 1000 Kilometres of Algarve in August, chassis 082R again performed strongly to finish 23rd overall and 2nd in the GT1 class, behind the Luc Alphand-entered Corvette C6R.

The penultimate round of the Championship at the Nürburgring began with Zacchia being replaced by former French Formula Renault Champion, Laurent Groppi. The recruitment of the latter contributed to a richly deserved maiden class win. The season concluded at Silverstone in September, where chassis 082R finished 2nd in GT1 and 21st overall, a result that led to Bervillé securing 3rd in the GT1 Drivers’ Championship and Larbre 2nd in the Team standings.

Larbre’s plans for 2010 encompassed all five LMS rounds, significantly including the all-important 24 Hours of Le Mans. Notably, chassis 082R had been re-homologated for 2010 with revised Oreca-developed aerodynamics, Cerobear ceramic hub carriers, Öhlins dampers and an uprated Elan Technologies engine, the only S7-R understood to have been upgraded as such.

Chassis 082R achieved comfortable class wins at Paul Ricard, Portimão, Hungaroring and Silverstone. Understandably, Le Mans proved the season’s focal point, with Bervillé returning to join Gabriele Gardel and Julien Canal in the car. Three Ford GTs, two Alphand-entered Corvettes and an Aston Martin DBR9 provided strong class opposition, but nevertheless it was the Saleen that prevailed, recording a superb class win and 13th place overall. The season concluded with a final class win in the 1000 Kilometres of Zhuhai in November, Gardel and Patrice Gouselard—and Larbre—taking dominant wins in their respective categories in the final LMS standings.

Retained by Larbre ever since, chassis 082R benefitted from an engine dyno test by Oreca in May 2023 further to the renewal of all brake, fuel, and oil lines, brake master cylinders and brake calliper seals in November 2022. Furthermore, all major suspension components were crack tested, while time-expired safety items such as the seat, safety harness, fire extinguisher and rubber fuel cell were all renewed; the latter being valid for five years.

Accompanied by its FIA and ACO passports, and a spares package which includes four sets of wheels, two driveshafts and a spare gearset, chassis 082R represents an attractive prospective entry for Endurance Racing Legends and other historic racing events. Finally, a complimentary test day at the Circuit du Val de Vienne, courtesy of Larbre Competition, is generously offered as a condition of sale, enabling the fortunate new owner to acquaint themselves both with this spectacular car and the illustrious team which campaigned it in period to such considerable effect.