Honda S2000

I'm a die-hard muscle car fiend. I don't think anything can change that. The brute force and noise they deliver is something unique. You already know the shtick-loud, fast in a line, V8 yeahhhh!, America even more yeahhhh!!!, burnouts-that kind of thing. You can't approach a drag strip without hearing fat men mumble about the 8-71 blower on that Camaro's 396. 

Despite my affection for such industrial machines I've always had a passion for other kinds of cars (aka super cars and fast station wagons). When I was younger I loved pick-up trucks, I wanted an orange 1953 Ford F-3. When I was in my younger teens I started to form an vague opinion on cars. I loved 60's muscle cars. I wanted a 1969 Cutlass or a 1979 Camaro Z28 more than anything. I was an idiot though, I actually thought once that a 1970 Charger R/T was faster in every way than a Nissan 300ZX with a VG30DETT (twin turbo V6). I was a typical muscle car douche bag.

Fast forward a few years. I had been driving my '66 Coronet for some time. I got a good feel for what it lacked and what was perfect about it. It is slow, steering is vague, and the ride is uncontrollably roly. On the other hand it looks terrific, sounds amazing, and is very comfortable. 

Anyways, my eyes were opened to the flaws of old American cars. For some reason I picked up an issue of Import Tuner Magazine at the local grocery store. Inside those lovely pages was a write up on a 1991 Nissan 240SX. It struck me. A lovely deep blue sitting low on gold wheels. It was a typical build with a SR20 motor. Goddamn was it pretty. It peaked my interest in cars from the foreign land of Japan and I read more and more about these cars.

Now, I have friends that both have a Honda S2000. Let me tell you, these cars are something special. I don't want to say they are often overlooked because that would be an insult, but it seems like every time people see them they are surprised.

They are relatively unusual. Not too many were made in their production run. People are always after the massively complicated twin turbo FD RX-7 or unobtainable Supra. What about the perfect little, naturally aspirated Honda? 

After my first ride in one I was sold. It was a black 2004 S2000. The way it revved, the way it shifted was just eye opening. The first S2000 I drove was a silver 2001. I hit 9000rpm......9000rpm. I'm used to my lazy V8 calling it quits at a very diesel-like five grand. This 2.0 essentially revs twice as much and twice as quickly. Fuck all the VTEC jokes on the Internet. Unless you drive this car you don't understand. VTEC in the F20 or F22 is real. You can feel it engage. I was shocked at how good this engine was. Anyone can used forced induction to make their engine powerful but it takes a special sort of science to make a perfect naturally aspirated engine.

When I grabbed the shift lever I was astonished at the lack of play. I'm used to my donkey Subaru five-speed. This was so precise, it was nicely weighted, the gates were close. The ride was firm but comfortable. It was a very reasonable car to drive. The steering is nice and tight. The weight of it, spot on.

The S2000 can hold its own and be even better than the new lot of sports cars. Mazda and Toyota/Subaru make a good product but they're both missing something. The MX-5 Miata is quick but wallows through the corners. The FRS/BRZ has rigid handling but isn't as quick as it's looks would lead you to believe. An S2000 does it all. Plus you're under the Honda reliability umbrella which keeps you dry from the tears of other unreliable sports car owners.

The S2000 is a car I won't soon forget. It is definitely the best car I've ever driven. This car has the power to unleash the inner JDM fanboy in us all. It truly affected me. One day I would love to own a Spa Yellow AP1 S2000. #bahhhh-VTEC-BWAHHHHHHH