By now we're sure you've heard the news that 2009 will be the last year Honda will sell the beloved S2000. In order to properly say goodbye we needed two things: first we needed to find a stock S2000 so that we could get a feel for passion the engineers put into the vehicle and second we needed to find a perfect example of stock vehicle exaggerated. While the car has gained a cult-like following in the US the task was a little harder than we expected. We set out to find a perfect balance of track performance and simple yet shockingly good looks; we found the perfect applicant at HIN LA.
When the car first caught my eye I thought "wow, that's a clean-ass S2000." As the distance reduced while walking towards the car it hit me... someone finally painted a car flat white! It's an idea I've wanted to see in person for years and here it was in all its glory. Little did I know that the paint job had just been completed after a 26 hour road trip from the vehicle's native Texas. "After being in a body shop in Houston for over 2 months, and receiving the car in a horrible state, I immediately drove out to L.A. the next day with a trailer and my SUV for 26 hours straight to have it completely repainted 7 days prior to the HIN L.A. show." John tells us.
One look at the exterior of this car and you can tell that a real S2000 enthusiast built the vehicle. After owning two AP1s prior to this AP2, John had plenty of experience and knowledge going into this, his most capable S2000 thus far. While some of the parts from older vehicles carried over, he found out the hard way that some pieces, like his J's Racing exhaust, would have to be modified. The parts are all choice and the sight of the full J's Racing kit clad with a 4-layered ghosted graphics scheme is enough to make any s2ki member drool. But looks aren't the only thing this car has in spades.
An S2000 that isn't raced on track is a waste of a purpose-engineered vehicle, and John knows this which is why he's been honing his driving skills in an AP ever since. When shooting the car he told me "at the beginning of the year the car gets all pretty for the show season, then by the end of the year it will be so beaten up from the track that you can't even recognize it! I'll send you pictures!" Luckily for you I was able to shoot the car before the mayhem in a seemingly pristine state.
Continuing the theme of the S2000's inherently well-built engine, John did what most S2K owners do and only modded what was necessary. Unlike many turbo cars, the S2000 was tuned to a very high level from the factory and thus extracting more power is an art form. In fact most of the mods, like the J's Racing oil pan or the magnetic drain bolts are more of a longevity mod to ensure the engine lasts longer rather than makes more power. "If you plan on doing what I did" John says "make sure you upgrade your car with a purpose, upgrade your parts: pads, rotors, tires, aero after you start moving up in your driving level - as your speed increases, times on the track get better. Don't mod just to mod - mod with a purpose."