This weekend, I spent a not inconsiderable amount of time blocking a busy street near a popular southern California beach. Worse, I was in a metallic orange Lamborghini, the gearbox and engine of which were having a disagreement resulting in massive and noisy rpm spikes and zero forward motion. To add visibility to humiliation, the only way to get my arm outside to wave people by was to open the iconic scissor door. This may have been the single most conspicuous fifteen minutes of my life.
It proved to be a grounding experience in more ways than one. There is unquestionably a sentiment among the S2000 community that our cars are deeply special; that they carry a cachet beyond simply being (or having been) the best sub-$50,000 sports car on the market. A weekend spent in the driver’s seat of a supercar exposes this for the fallacy it is; the S2000 is a thoroughly enjoyable, totally ordinary car.
The Murcielago is not, by any objective standard, a particularly good car. The footwell is angled toward the center of the car, making instant location of major controls a headache. The interior quality is poor, and the handbrake cannot be disengaged with the door closed. The suspension crashes over bumps, at times resulting in an alarming structural creaking. The engine has a surprisingly narrow powerband, and the gearbox tends to make up its own mind about whether and when you receive a requested downshift.
It is also the single most magical car I’ve ever driven. Just lifting the ridiculous door made my inner twelve-year-old giggle maniacally. The seats are Italian-supercar perfection, reclining you impossibly far while still placing the wheel at the wrist-resting racing ideal. No motor on earth can compete with the Bizzarrini-designed V12 for sheer range of spine-tingling noises produced as you chase redline, and the boom and gargle when you lift off is a beautiful anachronism in an era of EPA regulation and $4 gas.
Equally anachronistic is the steering. It’s heavy, almost unassisted; the tiny 320mm wheel feels precise and gritty with feedback. I love it, especially by comparison to the fingertip lightness endemic to the current crop of effortlessly easy krautrockets and computer-controlled Ferraris. In short, on a perfect SoCal afternoon, I wanted to keep driving it forever.
Until it broke down, that is. At which point I wanted to be far, far away from the hundreds of amused, peeved, or otherwise attentive people staring at me.
As wonderful as the Lamborghini is, there are very few people who would be willing to put up with one as an everyday vehicle. I’d like to think I’m one of the minority who would; its passion and old-school charm are things I wish every vehicle possessed. For the majority of automotive enthusiasts, though, it’s too conspicuous, too unreliable, requires too much effort.
This, then, is the beauty of the S2000. It’s a tremendously enjoyable car that not only can be used every day, but requires no compromises to do so. Nothing detracts from the experience; it’s an exceptional amount of reliable, thoroughly engineered, clearly purposed fun at a reasonable price, and that’s what makes it so special.
Images courtesy of Cook24v, jwardell and ScandinavianFlick
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on Jul 21st, 2011 at 3:42 am
I live in Dubai…a city filled with more supercars than hatchbacks. And I can safely say that my stock 2008 S2000 still turns its fair share of heads, especially when the roof is down.
I still catch a good number of people taking photos with it.
And to me, it is still one of the most genuinely beautiful cars out there.
With Lamborghinis being a relatively common sight here, theres something about my S2000 that still stands out.
And that makes it arguably more special than anything else on the road!
on Jul 21st, 2011 at 4:14 am
That’s exactly why I bought my S. I researched many sports cars before I bought my S, looking at things ranging from gas mileage, tire wear patterns, cost of maintenance and upmost reliability. I found most euros fall well below standard for reliability, and the cost of maintenance is ridiculous.. American can be very mixed, and Jap cars were also.. None the less, I’m happy in knowing I can DD my S and take her over 100k miles without much worrying.
on Jul 21st, 2011 at 6:16 am
Yep, this pretty much sums up every supercar there is. thats why you buy something thats very reliable and tweak it to perfection. Id take a GT-R any day over an ferrari or lambo.
on Jul 21st, 2011 at 7:33 am
The NSX provides a nice midpoint between the S and super-exotics like the lambo, in terms of price, ease of maintenance, operating costs, outlandishness/beauty of styling, and performance.
But the S, particularly the AP1, has driving characteristics that I have yet to experience in any Miata, Porsche, Lambo, Ferrari, Acura, Lexus, Benz, or BMW. I miss mine every day.
on Jul 21st, 2011 at 7:35 am
My time with a Rosso Scuderia (Red) 458 Italia was top 3 times of my life and if I had the money I’d still buy one. I don’t care if it would require maintenance every month or so or every 1000 miles, it was absolutely incredible, one of the most exciting times of my life! I could spend hours sitting in the car, the immense detail was absolute perfection – everything had a purpose, the sound was exhilarating, all I could think about was Ferrari’s history, the roots of this car. Every time I shifted (paddle-shifter of course) down or up, I felt I was driving something derived from a formula 1 car. I was Michael Schumacher, (obviously kidding) for that brief moment. I was lost in Car Heaven and I (insert curse word) loved it!
Surprisingly at least to me, It was more comfortable than my S2000, even had a ton more room for storage and foot space but no car under $40,000 provides as much thrill in the S2000 in comparison to my few days spent with the 458.
Great article, brings back great memories! I’m glad I didn’t break down though!
on Jul 21st, 2011 at 8:04 am
Nice write up.
on Jul 21st, 2011 at 10:05 am
Today while on the freeway I was driving next to an Audi R8 in my GPW AP1. The driver and passenger both smiled and gave me a thumbs up and the passenger even pulled his sunglasses down to get a better look. It’s amazing how such an inexpensive Japanese car has earned so much respect in the racing community even amongst the most expensive competitors.
on Jul 21st, 2011 at 10:06 am
You could replace “S2000″ with “NSX” (and change the price point slightly) and this article could be mistaken as a reprint of almost every early ’90s review of Honda’s other legendary sportscar. Reliability and user-friendliness are right at the core of all roadgoing Hondas — for better, and (for those who are sentimental enough to love their cars’ faults), for worse.
on Jul 21st, 2011 at 7:22 pm
I bought my S2000 basically because I can’t afford a Ferrari. however, it is fun, way cheaper and has been reliable so far (stock)…I do wish it had more power stock, maybe 300+ whp. If I had the money you better believe I’d be driving the Ferrari/lambo as much as it allowed
I’d still rock the S
on Jul 22nd, 2011 at 2:12 am
Did you just compare the Lambo with the S2? What are you out of your mind?
on Jul 23rd, 2011 at 8:50 pm
True Top Secret, there is way more love in the S than in a Lambo
on Jul 25th, 2011 at 9:03 am
Well Im some would call a novice Ive never owned a true sport car, well no Ive owed several Rx7 Nuff Said, Anyway When i purchased my S2k Ive never looked back, Ive enjoyed my car to the fullest, I cant see ever owning any other car that is so much fun to drive and Yet the most reliable car Ive owned.
on Jul 30th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
In 2003 I bought a Ferrari 360-F1 brand new and sold it a few years later. I recently bought a mint condition 2007 S2000. They are both superbly engineered cars but in fact I think the Honda has far better brakes than the Ferrari – more powerful with better feel. The handling is quite similar between the two although I would have to give the edge to the Ferrari. The Honda has the worst ride by far of any sportscar I’ve ever owned. It is easily upset by rough road and the whole thing creaks and rattles. I have a light plane that I fly as a hobby and in the Ferrari I was able to put two 20l fuel containers, a toolbox and a short stepladder in the front trunk each time I went flying – incredible. Try that with most other sportscars. The Honda cannot even begin to approach the Ferrari driving experience though. Many people envy you, even more hate your guts. I am constantly taken aback by how many people treat you differently because of that car. Police officers have given me a break on multiple occasions. The feeling you get when redlining it in the first three gears at a highway on ramp as you work the paddle shift can never be replicated in the Honda or most other cars because other cars might even be faster, but they are not Ferraris. It’s all part of the Ferrari experience. slusoccer00 knows exactly what I am talking about. I might get a turned head in the Honda about once every 4-5 months.
on Aug 1st, 2011 at 4:15 am
Coyote, I really do! I posted up my experiences on Facebook, knowing full well of the repercussions that may arise and I got some favorable responses and not so friendly responses “I hate you, you suck” (Most out of jealousy) most of them were great though because my friends know me all to well and know I’m a serious car guy and knew I would some day own or least drive a Ferrari. We are all car people on here and once you drive one and I’m sorry to disappoint you guys, but as good as an S2000 is, it’s no Ferrari and you’ll know very quickly. I will say that driving a Ferrari is dangerous, not because you can go fast and take turns insanely quick but everyone and their grandmother suddenly forgets how to drive. You feel like you are being herded and it can get quite dangerous. They start driving in your lane a little because they’re looking so intently and when you speed up, its not like some ricer tries to catch up, everyone tries to catch up and when you slow up, everyone slows up. It can be dangerous, you’ll even get cut off because some truck feels necessary to get in front of you! Anytime you park, it creates quite a stir and sometimes you get the dirtiest looks as well but I still don’t care, to hear the car gallop and drive something that history has perfected time and time again. It’s pure bliss and it’s still on my list to purchase a brand new one one day, it might be the Ferrari 878 Italia diesel, electric, solar hybrid but it’s still on my list!