Honda S2000 Takes On Toyota GR86 In Interesting Drag Race

Old vs New

A real performer in its era, the Honda S2000 - at least in stock form - has understandably fallen behind the times a bit after its discontinuation. This is common with all vehicles, of course, as automakers just keep throwing more power at everything they make. Regardless, we found this recent drag race between an S2000 and a Toyota GR86 conducted by Cars to be rather interesting, as it's a good indication of just how far we've come in recent years.

Bone Stock

In this case, both cars are bone stock, save for a fresh set of tires that was just installed on the Honda drop-top. That means the GR86 is equipped with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder boxer motor that produces 233 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, which has to move around a mere 2,756 pounds. 

Many Similarities

On the flip side, we have the S2000, which was originally rated to produce 237 horsepower and 153 pound-feet of torque, though it has around 46k miles on the clock currently. Regardless, what's particularly interesting is that both of these cars weigh roughly the same, and while the Toyota makes more torque, they're otherwise pretty similar in terms of output.

Super Close

That should, at least on paper, make for a pretty even drag race, one could assume. And that assumption would turn out to be correct on this particular day, as these two cars put on quite the show. In the first race, the GR86 gets the jump and an early lead but manages to just barely edge out its older rival by the time both cross the finish line.

Coming Back

The tables turn in race number two, however, as the S2000 driver gets a much better launch and jumps out to a car-length lead. He manages to hold onto that lead all the way to the end, giving the older Honda the win in this particular match.

Photo Finish

Race number three doesn't disappoint either, as these two cars put on one of the closest drag races possible - one that features, quite literally, a photo finish. Checking out the film reveals that the S2000 managed to take home the victory by a mere nose, which is truly an impressive feat.

>>Join the conversation about this S2000 vs. GR86 battle right here at S2Ki.com.

Driving a Point

While it's obviously nice to know that the S2000 - a car that's quite a bit older than its Toyota-based competition here - is still capable of outrunning it in a straight line, we're also equally amazed at just how closely these two cars match up, given their differences. If that isn't a testament to how great the S2000 still is, well, we're not sure what would be needed to drive that point home.

>>Join the conversation about this S2000 vs. GR86 battle right here at S2Ki.com.