In an age when cars can park themselves and predict crashes right before they happen, the Honda S2000 seems downright antiquated. The suspension can't be adjusted on the fly and local traffic conditions aren't monitored through a voice-activated navigation system. Heck, the tail-happy S2000 didn't even have stability and traction control until 2006 and the steering wheel still doesn't tilt. But it's this simplicity or, better put, purity that we love about the S2000. It's an instrument designed with only one purpose: driving pleasure.
You might be wondering what happened to the last S2000 that passed through our project car fleet. A former staff member owned that first-gen model and when he left, the car went with him. But the S2000 has such potential, it would be a shame not to give one example the full project car treatment. So we've re-entered the S2000 fray with a latermodel 2.2-liter version, dubbed Project S2200.
To the uninformed, the Honda brand conjures images of boring front-wheel-drive family sedans. Soul-less, practical, base-model appliances for getting from A to B. But that image couldn't be further from the truth. Long before the company was created, its founder, Soichiro Honda, worked as a racing driver and apprentice mechanic at Art Shoukai, a small garage in Tokyo, during the mid-1920s. By the 1950s, Honda's passion and knowledge of racing led to his creation of the Honda Motor Company, through which he planned to attack the European motorcycle racing circuit.
With technological innovation as the company's trademark, Honda came to dominate the sport, its high-revving motorcycles obliterating the competition and taking a first world championship title in 1961. Honda went on to produce cars in 1962. Its first, not surprisingly, was a sports car: the S500 roadster-a car that eventually became the spiritual precursor of the S2000. By 1970, this had evolved into the more powerful S800.
By the mid-1990s, after dominating Formula One (Honda engines helped win six consecutive constructor's championships between 1986 and 1991) and building a successful supercar (the NSX), Honda was ready to return to its sports car roots with a small roadster. Although the NSX ended up being a mid-engine coupe powered by a V6, its original concept was a four-cylinder roadster. When the time came to build another sports car, it made sense for Honda to resolve unfinished business and build a lightweight four-cylinder roadster.
Honda made certain that the S2000's F1 bloodline was apparent. When introduced, the car featured a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter powerplant, called the F20C, that shrieked to an incredible 9000rpm and produced 240bhp-an amazing 120bhp per liter. Beginning in 2004, the F20C engine was upgraded to 2.2 liters and, as a result, realized an increase in useful torque at somewhat lower revs. Redline, however, was lowered from 9000rpm to 'only' 8000rpm.
Compared to the original 2.0-liter motor, the F22C produces slightly more peak torque (162lb-ft vs. 153lb-ft) at only 6200rpm instead of at 7500rpm, as rated by Honda. That may not seem like much, but remember, this is still a Honda. Finding an extra 9lb-ft is harder than questing for the Holy Grail.
Even better, early S2000s can now be picked up on the used market from $10,000 to $13,0000, depending on condition. If you're looking to buy one, be aware of possible overrevving due to a missed shift, or excessive wear by aspiring Ayrton Sennas. Other things to look out for include fading plastic rear windows in the convertible top (later models used a glass window), heavy track abuse and, of course, the usual smoking and whining associated with a car that's about to blow up.