Becoming a supercar manufacturer is probably a lot like becoming a millionaire: The hardest part is making your first one.

Or maybe it’s not like that at all. Being neither a millionaire nor a supercar manufacturer, we honestly have no idea.

But we do know that, where turning carbon fiber dreams into reality is concerned, Steve Saleen made it much, much further than most. A few dozen of his V8-powered Saleen S7s were built between 2000 and 2006, and the S7R racing version of the supercar even saw success on the circuit -- including a GT1 class win at the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans. That puts him leagues ahead of vaporware hawkers with little more than a cool name and teaser art, and the S7 itself still has a devoted (if small) following.

Saleen -- the company, not the man (it's complicated) -- went on to reveal the S5S Raptor in 2008…just in time for a crippling global recession to extinguish any hope of production.

Following the sale of the rights to produce these all-American exotics to a private equity firm, followed by the apparent failure to actually produce any of them, we’ve reached this point: The S5S Raptor prototype, along with a handful of uncompleted S7s and a boatload of parts, plus all associated intellectual property, are heading to auction. The hammer falls on Nov. 18.

Unfinished S7 equals unlimited potential. GA Global Partners

GA Global Partners is running the auction, and there's an extensive photo album showing everything included in the lot at its website. A quick glance reveals rows and rows of bins full of carbon fiber parts, subframes, wheels, molds for seat shells and body panels…

And then there are the cars. Included in the lot are six Saleen S7/Saleen S7R chassis (some assembly required) and that sole Saleen S5S Raptor prototype -- a tantalizing homegrown Lamborghini-fighting super sports competitor that never was. It's all been tucked away in storage for five years.

What’s the eventual fate of all this stuff? Maybe the S7/S7R chassis could be completed and sold profitably; when these cars do come up for sale, they have no trouble bringing in well north of a half million. Similarly, the S5S Raptor prototype would undoubtedly be worth a bundle to the right collector. The parts? Well, there's a small community of S7 owners out there, and sooner or later, they're gonna need replacement doodads. It might not make for high-volume side business but it beats flipping Beanie Babies on eBay.

But you could theoretically restart production if you really wanted to, because all intellectual property associated with the cars is included in the auction.

Except, of course, the Saleen name. GA Global Partners notes that the party selling the lot is in no way affiliated with Saleen Automotive, Inc. And that's fine -- leave the Saleen name to Steve, put on your thinking cap and come up with something ass-kicking. Something patriotic. The Liberty EagleFire Mach 1776 has a nice ring to it, for example. You can have that one for free.

The time for an American V8 exotic supercar is now (just like it was back in 2000). And with your vision, and deep, deep pockets, you can make it happen. Happy bidding!

For more information on the auction, and a gigantic gallery of what’s included, visit the GA Global Partners auction listing page.

There aren't many S7 owners out there, but eventually, they're going to need parts. And you'll be the guy with all the parts. GA Global Partners

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