Saleen S1 Sports Car Headed To L.A. With 450 HP

The Los Angeles Auto Show recently announced Saleen would unveil its latest vehicle at this year's event and it now appears the company will showcase the S1 sports car.

According to China Daily, Jiangsu Saleen Automotive Technology CEO Charles Wang confirmed the company's first model in China will be the S1 sports car and it will be launched at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The model will be a two-door coupe that features a turbocharged 2.3-liter engine that produces 450 hp (336 kW) and 425 lb-ft (577 Nm) of torque. Autoguide reports the engine will be four-cylinder sourced from Ford and it will enable the S1 to have a top speed of 180 mph (290 km/h).

Little else is known about the S1 but Car News China says the model was recently shown in China and is heavily influenced by the Artega GT. The model will reportedly have a carbon fiber body and Wang confirmed an "electric version will follow in 2018."

The S1 will be built at a new plant in Rugao, China and construction is slated to be finished by June. The factory will reportedly be able to build up to 150,000 vehicles annually. That sounds like a lot of capacity for a sports car but Wang confirmed the company intends to follow in the footsteps of Porsche and "produce all sorts of passenger cars including sedans, SUVs and crossovers."

Photo Credits: Car News China