Zpeedstr

To: Everyone Who Is Interested in Preserving the Saleen S7,
America's Only Supercar

The Saleen S7 could be lost from the U.S. market due to the advanced air
bag requirement that takes effect September 1. Saleen has submitted an
application for temporary exemption with NHTSA which, if approved, would
enable the S7 to be produced and sold in the U.S. for three (3) more
years. (To view the full application, search for Docket Number 25323 at
http://dms.dot.gov/search/searchFormSimple.cfm)

Until July 20, 2006, public comments are now being solicited and accepted
regarding this application for exemption. If you want to help save the
S7, you may submit your comments electronically via the web site,
http://dms.dot.gov. Click on the tab marked "Comments/Submissions" at the
top of the screen. Enter the following information:

Docket Number: 25323
Operating Administration: NHTSA.
Docket Type: check the Adjudicatory option
Docket Existence: check the Does Exist option

Fill in the rest of the requested information, then follow the
instructions for submitting your comments.

In addition to your own thoughts, a few other arguments in favor of
approving the request for temporary exemption include:

1. The inherent design, materials and construction of the S7 provide
safety well beyond that of other passenger vehicles. The S7 employs a
fully welded roll cage, aluminum honeycomb passenger compartment and
carbon fiber bodywork to protect its maximum of two occupants. The
design, materials and construction have proven to be safe in racing
applications at speeds more than three times the maximum speed limit for
public roads.

2. The S7 is built in extremely limited numbers and driven very few miles
per year. Statistically, as compared to the total passenger miles driven
per year, the S7 mileage is inconsequential to overall saftey on U.S.
roads.

3. The S7 is built in the U.S. by American workers using parts that are
primarily sourced from other U.S. companies. Jobs would be lost at Saleen
and critical suppliers should the exemption application not be approved.

4. Saleen would suffer severe economic hardship should the exemption
request not be granted.

5. The S7 is an American icon that competes with the most exotic supercars
in the world. The S7 represents American ingenuity, engineering
capability, craftsmanship and manufaxturing excellence.

Thanks for considering submittal of comments in favor of the S7 air bag
exemption. I really appreciate it and will let you know the outcome!

If you want to know more about this, please call me at 949-307-4735.

Thanks,
Alan

--
Alan Leukhardt

Alan@AliveMotorsports.com

http://www.alivemotorsports.com

micro

Didn't the Ferrari F430 get an airbag exemption?

John Shiels

Cool car let's save it! How many kit cars are running around?

http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/pdf97/405075_web.pdf


where do you leave comments I didn't find it?

BrianCunningham

The seatbelt rules are totally messed up.
You can wear a 6pt harness, which goes far beyond the factory units, provided it makes rollover protection, and still be illegal.

That said, why can't they adapt a Ford unit?

John Shiels

Yea and you get buy a 200 MPH motorcycle and ride in the back of a pickup truck with no belts

RogueVette

Let it Die. I prefer the Mosler anyway. It has the right heart

Zoli007

And you can ride said bike with no helmet either...Stupid.

micro

The S7 doesn't have a Ford V-8.

We move to engine final assembly, where Steve clears up the misconception that the 7.0-liter V-8 is Ford-based. The aluminum block is a Saleen-exclusive lightweight casting that has small-block external dimensions with big-block capacity. "I did borrow Ford bore centers so I didn't have to reinvent head gaskets and some other bracketry," explains Steve. Tally points with obvious pride to an S7 cylinder head and pokes a finger in the gaping ports, the exhaust valve seats done in beryllium. "It has the best heat conductivity of just about any metal on the planet," he says, adding that with ultra-precise computer machining of both ports and combustion chambers, most heads are within 0.5 percent of one another on the flow bench.

- Road & Track June 2003

Not quite.

http://www.sscautos.com/

TLGunman

The Mosler MT900 has airbags too, never applied for an exemption from them


This would be Saleen's third airbag exemption...

MazdaRob

It is still stupid that the NHTSA makes small volume car manufacturers who sell 13 cars a year that get driven on streets maybe 1000miles p/year meet the same regulations as a Focus or Cobalt or whatever mass production car. They ought to spend their time and money on getting a better bang for their (our) buck. It is amazing the cool stuff that we don't get like TVRs because of our dopey laws. They ought to exempt cars with small production runs from some of the most egregious safety/emission laws.

xsiveone

This is what really pisses me off about our country. We'd rather spend money on mandating new ways of insulating the drivers from accidents instead of teaching people how to drive in the first place, so they can avoid accidents.

01C5fan

What we really need is an "experimental" designation for cars just like they do for aircraft. No small volume manufacturer should be subject to all the inane safety rules, equipment mandates, and testing requirements that we have in this country. All this does is drive up prices and limit competition.

xsiveone

And it makes the cars a lot less fun to drive. I don't want to be driving two ton sports cars filled with airbags and other safety equipment. I'd rather drive a stripped down sports car and I'd like to opportunity to drive it on the street if I want to. I get jealous when I see the Brits drive their Radicals and Aerial Atoms on the street.

micro

You've heard about the new European pedestrian safety regulations, right?