Most Honda enthusiasts have a fetish for Spoon Sports goodies and in many ways the company and its president, Tatsuru Ichishima, have become industry icons. Much of what fuels the popularity of the brand is the simplicity of the products they've offered over the years. Their Civic and Integra bits and pieces have always been in high demand, even with knock-off versions available at every corner of your favorite search engine. Enter the Spoon Honda S2000 Open Air Concept, seen at Tokyo Auto Salon this year.
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| Spoon Sports Honda S2000 Open Air Concept Mooncraft Roof 02
For the S2000 crowd, Spoon's Mooncraft Racing team developed 2-piece hardtop stirred a bit of controversy as it did away with conventional styling and transformed the look of the S2000 entirely. For better or worse, it to became very well known, was copied and counterfeited, yet the original still sold quite well. Their S-Tai front and rear bumpers for the roadster are every bit as aggressive at the Mooncraft top, but it's the Japanese tuning groups latest prototype that has everyone wondering whether or not Spoon Sports has lost its touch.
The premise is actually quite useful and if you're an S2000 owner, you might have an easier time accepting Spoon's idea of an "open air top" prototype. The design is way, way outside of the box with a raised, tinted plexiglass center portion that is surrounded by a composite trim which can be color matched to the vehicle. The outer portion of the top is micro-finished aluminum with a textured look and is said to improve aerodynamics. The aluminum frame runs down the center of the roof and relies on an aluminum mount in between the headrests that looks to only be compatible with the OEM fiberglass tonneau cover found on the CR model. The look is well, unique, and ever since its unofficial debut the week leading up to Tokyo Auto Salon, it's garnered more frowns than high-fives. Nevertheless, it may be going into production and available to the public later this year. Their goal in all of this is to help push the limits and revitalize the spirit of the discontinued S2000, a model that Ichishima has grown quite fond of. Whether or not this does the trick, it's undoubtedly raising eyebrows and garnering a ton of attention.
Project G
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| Mazda Miata Project G 06
Convertibles are great as are hardtops, but sometimes you want a little of both, and that's where this top comes in. You get the "open air" feel, while keeping the sun from beating down on you during long trips. You might have seen Miata's using a fabric-based version of this idea thanks to So Cal based, Project G, who specializes in Miatas and dubbed their product, "The G-String." They're currently in the midst of putting the final touches on an S2000 version that should be available later this year.
Project G * www.projectgla.com
