When introduced, the S2000 gained the distinction of having the highest specific output of any normally-aspirated production piston engine in a car under six figures. Today, Nice Price or Crack Pipe has a 2001 edition, but its eligibility is blown.
Blow might have been something you would have seen an original owner of yesterday's 1978 Corvette doing, back when that was in fashion. These days you'd needn't be high to see the value of dropping a 300+pony LS1 into that disco-era doorstop, but as 72% of you pointed out, its price did blow.
When you think Honda, you usually think front wheel drive. That's because most everything they sell has had its nose doing all the work. That wasn't always the case, and in fact the first car Honda ever produced - the S500 - was rear-driven. That car used a lot of the know-how Honda had gained after years of motorcycle engineering, including chain-drive and an air-cooled inline 4 cylinder engine. The S500 begat the S600 which was superseded by the 72-hp S800, and that car gave up the good fight in 1970 after more than 11,000 had been built.
Hondaphiles had to wait a full 30 years for the next Honda S model (discounting the Si), and the SSM Showcar-based S2000 proved the wait worthwhile. Rocking a 240-bhp 1,997cc VTEC four and short-throw six speed manual, the S2000 arrived to challenge both Miata and Boxster. The Honda shared its basic format with the Mazda, and outgunned the Porsche in the horsepower wars. One thing that stood out from those other cars was the F20C's motorcycle-like hunger for revs, and its corresponding dearth of torque at anything other than full chat.
Something else that U.S. Honda lovers have had a long wait for is factory turbos. In fact, if you want a snail-equipped Honda here, you'll need to electric slide it over to your Acura dealer for an RDX. Impatient as it may seem, someone decided not to wait for the factory, and added a turbo along with a shiny air to air intercooler to today's candidate.
The turbo on this 2001 S2000 should help the midrange somewhat, but it's still likely to be listless off the line. Many of the turbo S2000s on the market boast of 3-400+ horsepower at the wheels, but this seller makes no such claim, saying only that the car runs perfect. In fact not much info is given regarding the specifics of the turbo upgrade. He does manage to pull back the curtain a little bit in divulging that the car has a new AEM chip and TEIN suspension parts. He also reveals that the CAR HAS NO TOP, none at all, don't bother asking, it's like Kate Moss at the beach, remember to bring a cap.
Having an open-only cockpit makes this kind of a fair weather friend, and the reason for its lack of either soft or hard hat goes unexplained in the ad. Of course, if you live in a dry climate you might not even miss the top until around Turkey Day, but should you feel the need for one, a guy over on the S2000 boards is parting out an '02 and will sell you its complete soft top for only five Benjamins.
Other than the missing hoodie, this Honda looks pretty clean for the 92K it's put under its tires. The interior presents a light patina of use and appears much bigger in the pictures that it is in real life. The S2K is tiny inside, and If you don't like traveling light, then these might not be the cars for you. On the other hand, if you motivate with the same lack of accoutrement as does Mr. Natural, then this turbo'd 2000 might just be your cup of sake.
That means that you'd need to come up with $11,000 (plus that top if you're the modest type) which brings us to that point in the show where YOU get to participate. What's your take on $11K for a 2K, is that a price that would make you want to pick it up fast? Or, does that just make you furious?
You decide!
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