Unique S2000 Build Goes All Out to Become Track Weapon

Catching the Bug

Lots of folks find themselves addicted to the track, but not many of them are like George Koustoumbardis. The young man was racing his self-built Miata long before he even graduated high school, in fact. But as we learned from this interesting Turnology piece, Koustoumbardis soon found himself stricken with the S2000 bug as well. 

Photos: Turnology

Breaking the Habit

After high school graduation, Koustoumbardis wasn't quite sure what to do with his Miata. That car and his solid driving skills had netted him some time behind the wheel of several of his opponent's rides, which included an S2000. So he left town without his Mazda and went a while without getting his track fix. 

Photos: Turnology

>>Join the conversation about this S2000 right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!

Making the Deal

Sometime later, he came across the opportunity to buy an S2000 from his former employer, who had taken one in from a customer. Koustoumbardis was afraid he wouldn't have the cash to make it happen, but his former employer gave him one heck of a deal. 

Photos: Turnology

>>Join the conversation about this S2000 right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!

Goodies Included

The best thing about the transaction was the fact that this particular S2000 came with quite a few track-friendly modifications. That included custom Ohlins coilovers, Hard Race sway bars, Hankook RS4s, and Wilwood brakes front and back. 

Photos: Turnology

>>Join the conversation about this S2000 right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!

Making Adjustments

Koustoumbardis has largely avoided power adders but did install an Invidia Q300 stainless steel exhaust while also deleting the resonator. The AP2 also has an AP1 gearbox in it, as well as an AP1 differential out back.  

Photos: Turnology

>>Join the conversation about this S2000 right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!

Fine Tuning

So far, Koustoumbardis is working hard to adjust both his own driving style and the car itself to fine-tune his lap times. "The rack is so fast in the S2000 that it forced me to be smoother," he told Turnology. "I couldn’t believe how twitchy it was—I even spun it twice my first time at Gingerman." 

Photos: Turnology

>>Join the conversation about this S2000 right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!

Taming the Beast

Some wheel time and experimentation helped Koustoumbardis whittle his best lap time at Gingerman down to 1:46.1. He then threw on a fresh set of tires and removed the rear sway bar to tame the car's snappy nature as well. 

Photos: Turnology

>>Join the conversation about this S2000 right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!

Place Your Bets

After more wheel time, Koustoumbardis managed to shave his best lap down to an impressive 1:44.4, which is pretty close to the Gingerman Raceway lap record for a normally-aspirated S2000 sans aero. And at this point, who are we to bet against him? 

Photos: Turnology

>>Join the conversation about this S2000 right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!

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