The Saleen S7 road car was developed jointly by Steve Saleen, Hidden Creek Industries, Ray Mallock Ltd. (RML), and designer Phil Frank. Based on a 4130 steel space frame chassis with aluminium honeycomb composite panels, the S7 is powered by a 7.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine producing 550 hp in road-going form. The racing S7-R uses a version of this engine rated at approximately 631 hp with restrictor plates fitted, or up to 760 hp unrestricted.
RML assembled the first few S7-Rs at their workshops in Britain under Saleen engineering supervision before Saleen assumed full control of assembly. From 2006, the French Oreca squad handled final outfitting. In total, fourteen S7-Rs were completed to race-ready condition, with seven additional chassis assembled to a level requiring Vehicle Identification Numbers but never converted into complete racing vehicles.
The first S7-R made its racing debut in the American Le Mans Series at Laguna Seca in 2000, run by Saleen-Allen Speedlab, finishing 26th. By 2001, multiple customer teams were competing with the car across different championships. Konrad Motorsport, running in both the American Le Mans Series and the European Le Mans Series, claimed a sixth-place class finish and a class victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring. The team Fordahl Motorsports won seven Grand American events in 2001, finishing second in its class championship, while RML won four events and the 2001 European Le Mans Series championship by a single point. The S7-R also claimed an 18th-place overall finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in its first appearance at the circuit.
Graham Nash Motorsport entered the S7-R in 2002, winning both the British GT and Spanish GT Championships. In British GT alone, the team took nine victories; in Spanish GT, four more. These championships demonstrated the car's competitive range beyond North American competition.
In 2004, Vitaphone Racing entered a Saleen S7-R in the FIA GT Championship alongside teams running Maserati MC12 and Ferrari machinery. At the FIA GT Super Racing Weekend at Imola, the Vitaphone S7-R driven by Michael Bartels and Uwe Alzen defeated two Maserati MC12s, three Ferrari 550s, three Ferrari 575s, and two Lamborghini Murcielagos to win the GT class. Ferrari CEO Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was present and acknowledged the result, stating that Scuderia Ferrari was no match for the Saleen that day. The result was widely regarded as one of the most significant upsets in FIA GT Championship history, as a car from a low-volume American manufacturer had defeated Ferrari at Ferrari's home circuit.
In 2005, several teams running the S7-R faced economic difficulties, reducing the car's competitive presence. Vitaphone moved to the Maserati MC12 for the FIA GT Championship, leaving ACEMCO Motorsports as the primary North American representative, finishing second in the American Le Mans Series.
For 2006, Saleen chose to concentrate resources on select events. Oreca prepared updated S7-R chassis with performance upgrades under Saleen engineering supervision, and the resulting package earned two victories in the Le Mans Series and the 2006 FFSA GT Championship title. ACEMCO entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 11th overall — the best-ever result for a Saleen at that event at the time. In the FIA GT Championship, Zakspeed took over factory support duties, earning two victories.
For 2007, Zakspeed was forced to withdraw due to bankruptcy. Oreca completed two final chassis from Saleen-supplied subassemblies and continued racing in the Le Mans Series, winning four events during the season.
In 2010, a Saleen S7-R operated by Larbre Compétition — chassis 610, which had been finished by Oreca in 2006 using components assembled by Saleen's Irvine, California engineering team — won the LMGT1 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This was the only Le Mans class victory for this particular chassis, and its Saleen engineers had named the car Melissa during its original construction. The victory came four years after the car was built, underscoring the longevity and durability of the S7-R platform.
The Saleen S7-R demonstrated that a small-volume American sports car manufacturer could compete credibly at the highest levels of international GT racing, including in the FIA GT Championship against factory-backed European programmes. Its 2004 Imola victory in particular secured its place in motorsport history. A total of fourteen race-ready examples were produced across the programme's seven-year run.