Honda S2000 - today's tempter

By: Guy Allen, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 01.03.2017

True open-top sportsters are now very affordable

Honda S2000 is a pukka sports car.

Honda may not be the first brand that springs to mind whenever the topic of sports cars comes up, but the Japanese marque does have a lenghty if somewhat patchy history with the breed.

Its diminutive S500 got things rolling in 1963. The 500 and the successors, the S600 and S800, are now very much in demand as classics.

Time and technology marched on, and the announcement that the company would be releasing another S-series car in 1999 was very welcome.

The S2000 is a pretty conventional four-cylinder open top sports car with rear wheel drive. Variable valve timing means it changes character noticably as the revs rise and the engine produces a respectable 240 horsepower. It's matched to a six-speed manual gearbox and limited-slip differential.

Pitched a little further up the food chain than Mazda's MX-5, it carried a higher retail price and sold in smaller numbers.

Used examples are now becoming affordable, with this example priced at $18,900 being fairly typical.

Located in WA, it claims software enhancements via Motec and a rear wheel power figure of 176kW, or 236hp, which means it's producing a fair bit more than stock. Keep in mind the standard figure is from the crankshaft.

Two generations of the S2000 were produced, with the second having cosmetic and significant chassis changes. However we'd be pretty happy if either one landed in our driveway.

You can find the car here.

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