From the August 1999 issue of Car and Driver.





Now we're going to see just how faithful the so-called faithful are. When it comes to sports cars, auto enthusiasts, as a credo, always want more. More power, more revs, more handling, more fun. Honda, it seems, has been listening, and is about to offer just that.

This September, sports-car fans, the car of your dreams will finally arrive. Honda's S2000 comes to market with one goal: driving fun. It has the stuff sports-car fantasies are made of: a front-engine, rear-drive layout; a six-speed, close-ratio manual transmission; an unequal-length control-arm suspension all around; disc brakes; and supportive, firm bucket seats—in a package that weighs less than 2800 pounds. The S2000’s crown jewel, however, is a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine pumping out an incredible 240 horsepower at 8300 rpm and revving to an 8900-rpm redline.

Only four volume-production roadsters on sale in the U.S. can top the feather­weight S2000's power-to-weight ratio: the Chevy Corvette, the Dodge Viper RT/10, the Ferrari F355 spider, and the Plymouth Prowler. Best news of all is the expected price: $30,000, or 10 to 124 grand less than those esteemed rivals. Please, stop drooling.

Only one current naturally aspirated production engine comes close to equaling the S2000's "revability"—the 3.6-liter, 8500-rpm-redlined V-8 from the $170,000 Ferrari 360 Modena.

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Honda's small, rev-happy engine cre­ates a wonderfully unique driving experi­ence. The elevated redline forces you to retune your ears to the proper shift point. Since few of us are used to the sound of an engine screaming away at 8900 rpm, we had to watch the tachometer for the first few shifts to avoid short shifting. At engine speeds below 7000 rpm, one can hear and enjoy the burbling exhaust note. At more than 7000 rpm, the mechanical clatter underhood drowns out the exhaust. If it weren't a Honda, we might have thought we were hurting some­thing up under that long, chiseled aluminum hood. In no time, how­ever, we were totally accustomed to the sound an 8900-rpm produc­tion engine makes and banged every shift at redline.

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Considering the high redline, it's no surprise that you have to rev this thing—a lot—to keep it moving. This is not a problem since there's zero engine vibration felt in the cabin, the tranny has six gears dedi­cated to keeping the engine spinning, and the shifter feels oh-so-sports-car perfect. All that revving exacts a penalty in cabin noise, however; wide-open-throttle accel­eration is good for 93 dBA, topping even an F355 spider's 89-dBA shriek.

We're sure that a properly broken-in example launched on a drag strip will run 0 to 60 in the mid-five-second range, and we'll test another one soon.

As with most high-strung motors, the S2000's engine lacks low-end grunt, so it must be revved madly at launch during acceleration testing. But even with nearly 8000 revs on the tach, our very green (345 miles) test car was unable to break a wheel loose on our grippy test surface, which partly explains our rather lackluster per­formance: 0 to 60 took us fully 6.8 sec­onds, and the quarter-mile fell in 15.1 sec­onds at a more impressive 96 mph. Those numbers are on par with the similarly priced BMW Z3. Wind it out further, how­ever, and the S2000 walks away from the Bimmer, hitting 120 mph some seven sec­onds quicker. We're sure that a properly broken-in example launched on a drag strip will run 0 to 60 in the mid-five-second range, and we'll test another one soon.

Although it's nice to have a powerful car, true sports-car nuts like a lusty engine because it gets the car to the next corner quicker. Honda didn't skimp on the S2000's handling, either. Its highly rigid frame uses a large-cross-section center tunnel for rigidity and provides a firm foundation for the all-control-arm suspen­sion. (We didn't notice a hint of cowl shake over bumps.)

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The chassis tuning is nearly perfect, and the weight distribution rounds to an ideal 50/50. The tires always feel precisely planted. The car communicates a clear pic­ture of what's happening at the contact patch, and as in most Hondas, we could use every last ounce of the 0.90 g of lat­eral grip with complete confidence. The S2000 takes a definite set in corners, but it never feels stuck in one position. It's tracks arrow straight when asked. The ride is firm but not harsh. The tail stays well planted-almost too well. We could coax it out only by stomping the throttle in mid-corner. The lack of rear-end action is per­haps the S2000's only shortcoming; we prefer sports cars whose rear ends help out with the steering.



If you've even thought about an automatic tranny, forget it—there isn't one available.

The brakes only enhance the S2000's confidence-inspiring nature. They're strong-stops from 70 mph required only 159 feet, the same as in our last Porsche Boxster. Even better, the brake pedal feels firm, and the S2000 doesn't do a nose dive when braking hard.

As icing on the cake, Honda eliminated some traditional sports-car vices. There's plenty of legroom, even for six-footers. There's a dead pedal for your left foot and enough room in the pedal box to allow unhampered footwork. The power softtop lowers in six seconds.

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There are still a few sports-car vices that will always be a part of the roadster for­mula. Storage space is at a minimum. There's only a small glove box located inconveniently between the seatbacks, and there are two small door pockets. The trunk holds only five cubic feet of stuff, a bit more than a Miata's. But who cares? You want storage space, get a Honda Odyssey.

The S2000 comes in four colors: white, red, silver, and black. There is no optional equipment, but everything you'll ever want in a roadster is here: a CD player, cruise control, keyless entry, and a digital instrument display that doesn't fade in direct sunlight. If you've even thought about an automatic tranny, forget it-there isn't one available. Honda plans to export only 4000 to 5000 S2000s to the U.S. each year, so if you're a true sports‑car aficionado, the line forms here.



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