Driven: Saleen Sport Truck S331

I admit that I love all kind of American cars. The more the engines make a deeper noise, the more it is music to my ears: those fantastic old school V8. So when a friend of the American V8 Club asked me if I wanted to try his pick-up, I didn’t make him ask that twice. He recently bought a 2008 Saleen Sport Truck S331, that for the less experienced is nothing more than a Ford F-150 FX2 with the engine pumped up to 450 horsepower. Long story short, I read the brochure and found the specifications of this model, which is a nice 5.4cc V8 that releases the power to the rear axle only. Clearly it is a vehicle totally useless in the most part of Europe, as it is huge, very expensive to run and not represents the ideal off-road vehicle, as it does not have four-wheel drive. But I do not care, the good old stars and stripes style, does not necessarily imply that a car should also be fantastic to drive, it just have to be plain fun. Then it makes a pretty good noise and I like that. I climb in the cockpit, opening a huge door that is betrayed by a really content weight: the poverty of the materials inside is dramatic, with a plastic dashboard and an instrument panel too damn rough, something that is not going to clash with the use that Saleen (or Ford) has suggested to the “potential buyer” of the S331.

After having done ten laps, in order to conserve tires and brakes of our friend Roberto, I immediately realize that despite the power available on paper and under the hood, it does not seem to output all of that potential to the ground in the right way. I do not feel at ease, it is not like driving a powerful SUV, but rather a crazy van. Standard brakes are not powerful enough to manage and requires a lot of courage if you have in mind to push hard on the gas. You could easily silence me clarify that it is not a car to bring to the track and I would agree without batting an eye, but I was hoping to find a little bit more versatility in here.
Thanks Rob, congratulations for an unusual purchase that definitely knows how to entertain, but not today. Not between the curbs.

Federico Giustini

SALEEN SPORT TRUCK S331 (2007)

Layout – front-engined, rear wheel drive

Engine – V 8 cylinder 5.4cc

Transmission – 4-speed automatic gearbox

Power – 450 hp @ 677 Nm

Weight – 2494 kg

Acceleration – 6,7 sec.

Price – at about 35.000 €