Honda S2000 used car guide
Wednesday 21 July 2010
The Honda S2000 is a convertible sports car that offers performance and reliability with a healthy dose of practicality.
Always near the top in customer satisfaction surveys, the S2000 is a true enthusiast’s car, with a high-revving engine, rear-wheel drive and superb handling. That’s largely down to its race-car inspired suspension. Things are also helped by the engine being set away from the front of the car, to give a perfect 50:50 weight distribution between the front and rear axles. Driver’s cars don’t come much more fun than this.
Manufacturer: Honda
Built: Japan
Predecessor: S800
Successor: -
Class: Sports
Honda S2000 – History
The S2000 was introduced in 1999 for Honda’s 50th birthday, but this wasn’t Honda’s first sportscar by a long way. Back in the 1960s the company had offered the S500, S600 and S800 roadsters, powered by tiny high-revving four-cylinder engines.
Although Honda hasn’t always offered open-topped cars, it’s generally had something sporty in its line-up; the S2000 was conceived as an open-top sports car with the latest advances in environmental friendliness and safety. A 2-litre engine was chosen to provide the best balance between performance, driving ease, and affordability, while also offering relative economy.
Honda S2000 – Types
Sep 1999: S2000 debuted with a 236bhp, 1997cc four-cylinder engine
Oct 2000: Metal hard top made available as an option
Oct 2001: Revised dashboard introduced with new switches
Mar 2002: Glass rear window replaced previous plastic item, well equipped S2000 GT introduced, with a standard removable hard top
Feb 2008: Suspension settings adjusted for improved handling. New wheels and colour options offered
Feb 2009: Ultimate Edition marks end of production run, featuring Grand Prix White paint and red leather interior.
Jun 2009: Honda S2000 production ends with more than 110,000 built
Honda S2000 – Did you know?
The Honda S2000 was originally shown as a concept car at the 1995 Tokyo motor show, wearing SSM badges; this was short for ‘Sports Study Model’.
The S2000 played a leading role in the cult movie ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’.
The S2000’s high-revving engine is appreciated by many, and especially the judges of the International Engine of the Year award, which gave it top prize five years running between 2000 and 2004.
By Richard Dredge