In December of 2010, our friends at Car and Driver Magazine re-published their list of Top 10 cars from 2001 mentioning where those cars stood a decade later. Needless to say, the Honda S2000 made it to that list along with another Honda, the 2001 Accord.
The article does erroneously state “… 2.0-liter engine with an 8300-rpm redline,” but before we feel slighted, it is perhaps C&D’s way of settling the unending AP1 versus AP2 debate. Barring that faux pas, the rest of the blurb about the S2000 is quite spot-on. The S2000 has been described as being among “special cars that are canonized the moment they come into existence” and is also recommended as an “ideal track champion or canyon carver.”
Surely all of us would find it very hard to argue with such facts. Most threads from our Introductions forum and S2000 Talk section started by new owners go on to describe the joy and elation that they experience as the S2000 transforms their daily commute into a joyride. This also explains why people hold on to the car and why some people, upon selling it, find themselves back in another S2000.
It is a testament to the company that Honda was that a product designed over 10 years ago continues to show no signs of aging or a dulling of interest from the enthusiast community. Honda had knowingly or unknowingly engineered a cult classic.
Such accolades give us warm and fuzzy feelings about Honda and the S2000. Perhaps Honda too is patting itself on its back in a self-congratulatory mood.
That said, do you think any current Honda car will find itself on a similar list 10 years in the future? As some say, maybe the CR-Z is indeed a step backward.
Source: Car and Driver
Tip of our hat to energetic for the lead. Image courtesy of energetic.
NOTE: S2KI welcomes the opinions of its members on the S2000 and on all topics related to the S. Should you feel the creative urge to pen a few words then by all means do so and PM Energetic, Aashish2, Onehots2k OR GavinSSAP1 OR send us links to what you would like us to write about and we will feature you (or your community) on the S2KI Home Page.
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on Feb 10th, 2011 at 5:19 am
Look at that – I’m mentioned in yet another article
“some people, upon selling it, find themselves back in another S2000″
Life w/o an S is just not worth living
Another nice article Aashish :thumbup:
FYI to the powers that be: it would be great to have a “share” button on these articles for Facebook/Twitter.
on Feb 10th, 2011 at 10:37 am
CR-Z is a step forward regarding hatchback style and the economy. To even place it in the same article as a S2000 though is a insult to the S.
S, and NSX are in their own stlye, sexy, and wow category! The others are just a car.
on Feb 11th, 2011 at 12:03 am
Recently, there’s been one too many reports about future sports cars utilizing electric and gas hybrid electric powertrains. Heck, even Porsche is getting into all these crazy hybrid stuffs in their sports cars. Come on, not Porsche right? How could they? The latest one I just read about is regarding a Nissan Esflow pure electric sports concept car that resembles a lot like the S2000 with a hardtop. Well, at the very least it shares the exterior look, what with that long hood and short deck profile. Very roadster like. Power comes from twin batteries powering each rear wheels, good for “only” 100 plus bhp, but most importantly, is the torque, at 260 lb fts. That will send this concept car from 0 to 60 in less than 5 seconds. Personally, I find that hard to believe, as the horsepower is simply insufficient, but it’s all about the torque, right?
Anyway, my point is simply this, the way I see it, in the near future, electric power is going to be more and more common. Is gas powered cars going the way of dinosaurs in the future? Who knows for sure. The european market is rife with diesel powered hot hatches and I think they’re more ready for these electric stuff as gas can be quite expensive over there.
on Feb 11th, 2011 at 6:37 am
sasquatch
Personally, I find that hard to believe, as the horsepower is simply insufficient, but it’s all about the torque, right?
No, it depending on what you want to do with the car. If you just what to go a short long straight and yes torque rules. But if you going in the Nürburgring, well horsepower is very important and it get you to the finish line in one piece. :0)
on Feb 11th, 2011 at 9:51 am
Horsepower is not the only thing that matters. Torque is just as crucial in determining a car’s potential. Per se the S2000, yes it’s got 240 bhp but only 153 lbs ft of torque. That’s why anything below 3500 rpm lacks useable grunt. I do agree that in a long racetrack, horsepower still rules the game, such as doing time attacks and racing, you need to have horsepower to win it. I’m just strenthening my point that with the current batches of electric cars and HYBRIDS alike, horsepower is still very low but torque is right up there. What automakers need to do in the future is to create something that balances both amounts sufficiently to accomodate one another. NISSAN’s current LEAF is a great example of a pure electric car that has low horsepower but nonetheless people still buy it for whatever reasons they have, be it evironmental issues, going green, going eco, and what not, but I don’t see the point really. You still have those batteries lying around that will have to go somewhere, somehow to be dispose of and it will contaminate the ground too. Plus a driving range of 50 or so miles on a single charge hampers any type of long distance travel. Let’s just hope that more advance ideas are in store to address these limitations soon.
on Feb 14th, 2011 at 2:47 am
Auto enthusiasts have long had an incomplete and/or flawed understanding of torque and horsepower, thanks in no small part to many automotive journalists, who frequently continue to discuss the subject in terms and phrases that are counterproductive.
The only way to have any meaningful discussion about the contribution the power of an engine will make to the performance of a car is to speak strictly about horsepower, specifically the horsepower generated within the RPM range used in a given situation, (i.e., area under the curve).
“Torque is just as crucial in determining a car’s potential.” It’s not. Unless you can discuss torque at a given RPM, that is. And if you know the torque and the RPM at which it’s measured, you may as well just call it horsepower, because that’s what horsepower is: (torque*RPM)/5252.
For example: A current-spec F1 V8 engine only generates 235-ish lb-ft of torque — it just does it at 18,000 RPM, hence the 800+ horsepower.
Of course, there are drivability concerns, but that’s a different matter. It’s not that a given car lacks torque (but has plenty of HP) and is therefore unsuited to slow turns — it’s probably just geared wrong for it. Similarly, a car that’s got plenty of torque (but lacks HP) isn’t bad for long, fast straights–witness Audi’s diesel engines at Le Mans–it just has to be geared accordingly.
Speaking of: Audi’s V12 LMP diesel makes 811 lb-ft of torque, but only 650 HP. It’s a diesel, so they just aren’t revving it like they would a gas engine.
With the proper gearing, , the F1 V8 will be the faster engine, every single time, on *any* track — more horsepower is always going to result in faster acceleration, (provided the power curve is similarly broad, is drivable, etc. But those variables are down to other factors).
on Feb 16th, 2011 at 7:02 am
1000% Agree.
Thanks.