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This LS7 V8 Saturn Sky Is OEM Tuning Done Right, Dyno'd at 437 HP

Remember the Saturn brand? General Motors had to phase it out in 2010 over three reasons, starting with poor sales. The commercial downfall is also the automaker’s fault because Saturn started to overlap with other brands in the group with products such as the Outlook crossover SUV.
LS7 V8 Saturn Sky 22 photos
Photo: Bring a Trailer
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The biggest reason for its untimely demise, however, is the financial crash of 2007 and 2008 when the whole world took a turn for the worst. As part of the Chapter 11 reorganization, General Motors had to put an end to Saturn along with the Hummer division, Pontiac, as well as Saab.

Thankfully, Saturn was consigned to the history books with a bit of a bang. The two-door roadster inspired by the Lotus Elise was a sporty little thing and still is by modern standards if you take a look at the specifications sheet. The Red Line with the Turbo Upgrade Kit had 290 horsepower (294 PS) and 340 pound-feet (461 Nm) of torque when new, but still, it wasn’t enough for some people. This gets us to Mallett Performance Cars.

The 2007 model year in the photo gallery is one of 100 examples modified by Mallett with LS engines and six-speed manuals from Tremec. But as opposed to any ol’ small-block V8, this fellow hides an LS7 surprise under the hood with dry-sump lubrication and very few miles.

Listed on Bring a Trailer at $31,427 with four days of bidding left to go, chassis 1G8MB35B87Y104815 also boasts a LuK Pro Gold clutch kit, Corsa stainless-steel mufflers, black calipers and slotted rotors, two sets of performance rubber, and two sets of wheels.

From the driver’s seat, you’re treated to a 7,000-rpm tach, a speedo that goes up to 140 mph (225 kph), and an odo that shows a little over 6,000 miles (9,656 kilometers).

The dyno run video after the jump is from earlier this month, resulting in 437 horsepower (443 PS) and 423 pound-feet (574 Nm) of torque for the 7.0-liter leviathan that General Motors used in the Corvette Z06 and Camaro Z/28. On that note, the selling vendor claims that the first owner averaged “less than 500 miles per year” over 13 years of ownership.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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