When most people set out to begin a project build the first goal in mind is usually speed. To achieve speed most people think they have to add power, which in most cases is true if your goal is to drive in a straight line. But what if you wanted to drive on a track that involves lots of corners? And on top of that, you wanted to drive around more than just once? Then you'd have to build a car like Alex Doan's '04 Honda S2000 outfitted with the entire arsenal of Spoon Sports' warehouse of goodies, including the amazing Spoon S-Tai body conversion kit. At first sight, the car is remarkable looking. Every line of the body is immaculately sculpted and very impressive. Spoon's kit is not just the typical front and rear bumper with side skirts, but it's an entire replacement for the bumpers, hood, roof, wing and fenders. The kit takes the rather pedestrian-looking S2K and turns it into a beast of a vehicle that not only looks good, but is track-proven to be a vital aerodynamic-enhancing ensemble. For Alex, the body kit was the cornerstone of his build and set the tone for his car's concept: a street-class car that can handle like a true track-only vehicle.
Alex got his tuning bug by working on a front-wheel drive Civic but soon found the need to experiment with rear wheel action and picked up a Toyota AE86. While building the Toyota, Alex consistently found himself comparing the two Japanese automakers and realized he always felt more at home in a Honda and that he felt a connection to the company's philosophy. When Honda's S2000 was introduced to the American market, Alex found his perfect automotive soulmate: a Honda built straight from the factory with RWD performance as a priority that was also more practical than an NSX. The high-revving engine was music to Alex's ears and he sought out to make it sing even louder. "I am an auto enthusiast through and through and wanted to build this car as AMG would build a Mercedes. That is why I chose Spoon Sports to be the main focus for my build up," says Doan.
For anyone looking to start a similar project, here's a few words of advice from Alex, "Upgrading an already well-built production car takes a lot of planning and strategy. Think about what you want the end product to look like and do for you. Manufacturers spend billions in R&D to develop cars so don't think you can just do better than they can without a well thought out plan and [also] expect to compromise certain luxuries like comfort and noise." While the planning has paid off by having his vehicle recognized as the official USDM S2000 of Spoon Sports, it was built with Spoon founder Tatsuru Ichishima's Super Taikyu S2000 in mind. The strategy was to enhance what Honda already designed the S2000 to do: handle on the road. With a full Spoon suspension setup which includes coilovers (14/12 Kg, f/r), four-point rollbar, a full compliment of engine and transmission mounts, strut and sway bars, Alex believes it's the little things one cannot see that has made the difference in his setup. "The Spoon weld-on gusset plates is a body reinforcement for the S2000. Due to the weak upper A-Arm mounts, Spoon has a weld on reinforcement, meant for those who drive competitively or hard driving."