When a company like Honda decides to build something special to shout about its 50 years in business then you know the result is going to be impressive and so it was when the wraps came off the S2000 in 1999.
Fresh on the heels of the technology showcase which was the NSX, the S2000 was in concept a kind of grown-up Mazda MX-5, taking that car’s back-to-basics approach but adding significantly more sophistication and nearly double the power output.
The heart of the S2000 was its engine: a 2.0-litre DOHC four-cylinder into which the firm threw the total of its accumulated knowledge over its half-century of existence, with many of the design team taken from the Formula 1 engine programme. The result was a power output of 240bhp. This wasn’t unusual for an engine of that capacity and that time, but what was highly unusual was it being achieved without forced induction – instead it was done by adding the Honda’s trick VTEC variable cam technology which enabled peak power to come in it at a heady 9000rpm.
With VTEC providing two sets of cams – one for tractable low-revs work and one for maximum power at high revs – this also meant the S2000 was as docile in everyday use as a basic Civic and could meet the strict California emissions regulations. Keep your foot in it until the needle hit 6500 rpm though and the change in character was dramatic as the VTEC did its thing and the needle leapt to the 9000 rpm redline. At this point, the short-shifting six-speed box came into its own and the grip afforded by the double wishbone suspension on all four corners was much appreciated.
The body was designed to achieve class-leading rigidity but the S2000 also weighed in at a modest 1260 kg, meaning performance was lively: 0-62 mph in just 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 150 mph. Not bad going from a 2.0-litre four-pot.
All of which means there’s nothing quite like the S2000. Yes, there are open two-seaters which provide similar performance but none of them manage it with such elegance of engineering and without using either much larger engines or at least one turbo. For that reason alone, it deserves the status of modern classic and that’s before you factor in the superb Honda build quality and the neat styling which successfully updated the traditional roadster shape without resorting to clumsy retro. In fairness, it did take Honda while to perfect the S2000’s dynamics – early cars lacked the body control and cornering grip to match their power or the stiffness of the body. This was quickly addressed, and later improvements answered criticism that the now more capable S2000 still felt a bit remote and lifeless. Further revisions were aimed at improving the car’s rather choppy ride quality, but the Honda always remained a car where the experience was dominated by that magnificent power unit. The S2000 always found itself caught between two worlds, being neither an accessible mass-market roadster like the Mazda MX-5 nor an uncompromising enthusiast’s car like a Lotus Elise but something in between. And that’s exactly why it appeals to many people.
