Best *true* sportscar on the planet! Blogs & RSS feed of the latest news covering the S2000, related news from Honda and Acura, and other "S2K" news of interest.
Be sure to see S2000.DrivingEnthusiast.net for complete information.
After an event at Texas World Speedway sponsored by John Eagle Honda on May 18 and 19, 2002, I was asked to drive a couple of demonstration laps for a video. Problem is that the air temp was over 110, the surface temp was over 150, and over the course of the very long weekend I'd already done well over 500 laps (3.1 miles each) in my own run group, driving other people's cars in their run groups, and instructing my students in their own cars. That's 4 out of 5 ~22 minute run groups, repeated 8 times a day, for two days. Needless to say, there wasn't much left of me by then.
But what the heck... one last lap. Onboard is a videographer from the "Temple of VTEC" website, who edited this film and added the music overlay.
We did two laps after the event ended. The S2000 was flawless (as always) and wasn't adversely affected by the temperatures. However after a very long weekend of well over 500 laps I'd had enough!
Image: my car going over the start/finish line. Shadowed by a bizarrely taped up S2000 on a very low line (who must of had a Miata instructor, unfortunately).
Video: the finished product - unfortunately without the original in-car sounds. The wonderful scream of the F20C engine bouncing off it's fuel cutoff at 9000 RPM is certainly more enjoyable than the lame teen-angst overlay that was added. But if you haven't seen the track yourself, this shows the way around. It's a great place and with the new owners has an even better future.
Tools & Links for Honda - S2000 post number # 2680
Another month, another S2000 rumor. Putting aside the fact that Honda confirmed that the cancellation of the successor to the S2000, all the rumors to the contrary so far have all been either wrong or (as in this case) a gross misinterpretation. This is not an S2000 successor - in fact it isn't even rear wheel drive. Look at the location of the engine in the chassis - if this were rear wheel it'd have the worst possible weight balance from the far-forward engine placement. This is a front wheel drive car.
It's obvious that this is a nothing more than a styling buck - one of many that are gone thru and discarded or selected to be taken further as a normal part of the design process. Yes, it is a convertible hardtop coupe, which fits in with earlier thinking that a convertible hardtop would make the car more appealing to the up-market “moneyed” crowd (which was never what the S2000 was about - although the spartan accommodations did hold back sales).
As for being a 2+2 arrangement, that's laughable. Just look closely at the image!
This is clearly a variant on what's been known as the CR-Z so far.
Speaking of the upcoming CR-Z, some in the press have taken to calling this front-wheel drive econobox a "sports car". That couldn't be further from the truth - it's no more a sports car than the original CR-Z was. To suggest that the CR-Z is a sports car is an abomination - especially when, as we know, Honda proved itself so capable of building a true sports car when they delivered the S2000.
There is no doubt that Honda completed some degree of work on a successor. If anybody ever does find the real images of that, they’ll have the scoop of the (Honda) century.
Tools & Links for Honda - S2000 post number # 2674
The S2000 Ultimate Edition was announced in January and went on sale in March exclusively in European markets. The 2 liter powered S2K special package consists of dark grey painted wheels from the US S2000 CR model, black badging from the CR model, a hardtop from the European S2000 GT model, black badging, and other minor changes.
This means that Honda has made availabel a special model in each major market to celebrate the end of the S2000 line:
Europe: Ultimate Edition (2009)
Japan: S (2008-2009)
United States: CR (2008-2009)
The S2000 section of the Driving Enthusiast network has made available all materials from this new model for the sake of posterity. Visit s2000.drivingenthusiast.net for high-res images and the press release.
Honda of Europe Press Release and selected ilmages (out of a total of 26) follows:
EMBARGO 29th January 2009 8:00am CET
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Honda S2000 Ultimate Edition
Honda has announced that the Honda S2000 Ultimate Edition will go on sale from March 2009 in Europe. This limited edition has been produced to mark the end of production for the award winning sports car.
The Ultimate Edition retains its highly acclaimed 2.0 litre 9000 rpm VTEC engine and combines it with a Grand Prix White body and graphite coloured alloy wheels. The shade of the paint evokes the colour first used on Honda's 1964 F1 car and many sporting models since. The exterior colour combination with the dark metal alloy wheels and unique black S2000 badging gives a fresh look to the timeless shape of the roadster body.
The white exterior will be matched with a red leather interior and complimented by unique red colouring for stitching on the gear lever gaiter. Ultimate Editions will be marked out by their unique numbered plaques on the kickplates, denoting their position in the series.
The 2-seater sports car may now be almost 10-years old, but its 240PS 2-litre is still one of the highest output per litre and highest revving engines ever made. In recognition of its incredible power output, the Honda S2000's engine has won the International Engine of the Year category for 1.8 to 2.2 litre engines five times in its lifetime.
As the name suggests, the Honda S2000 Ultimate Edition will be the last version before global production of the model ceases altogether at the end of June 2009. Since the introduction of the Honda S2000 in 1999 until the end of 2008, Honda has sold 110,673 units worldwide - 19,987 of those in Europe.
The first viewing of the Ultimate Edition will be the 2009 Geneva International Motor Show starting with the press day on the 3rd March.
Tools & Links for Honda - S2000 post number # 2629
It's the last year of S2000 sales, and they are still showing their seasonal trends - although numbers are way down. The data Honda provides shows only sales, not numbers of cars sitting on lots. So if you plan on getting an S2000 while the are still available, it's best to buy now while they are still available. The dedicated assembly line at the factory will shut down for good in only a few months.
Tools & Links for Honda - S2000 post number # 2628
As our readers know, Honda will end S2000 production this summer. Sales have dropped over 60% from the expected ~200 and are about a tenth of the peak years 2001-2002. Not a good sign... get yours while you still can!
Tools & Links for Honda - S2000 post number # 2597
Here's an interesting and detailed new blog covering the conversion of a 2003 S2000 to full electric power. The builder/owner has the car fully up and running. 130-140 HP and 220 ft-lbs torque. No final data yet on range or performance.
Overall the conversion is entirely professional and the nicely done blog makes a very interesting read.
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After an event at Texas World Speedway sponsored by John Eagle Honda on May 18 and 19, 2002, I was asked to drive a couple of demonstration laps for a video. Problem is that the air temp was over 110, the surface temp was over 150, and over the course of the very long weekend I'd already done well over 500 laps (3.1 miles each) in my own run group, driving other people's cars in their run groups, and instructing my students in their own cars. That's 4 out of 5 ~22 minute run groups, repeated 8 times a day, for two days. Needless to say, there wasn't much left of me by then.
Here's an interesting and detailed new blog covering the conversion of a 2003 S2000 to full electric power. The builder/owner has the car fully up and running. 130-140 HP and 220 ft-lbs torque. No final data yet on range or performance.
