TsukubaCody

I'd own an FD......but the 15 MPG would not allow me to drive it nearly as much as I like to drive my S2000.

MaximumAttack

I really, really, really want an FD shell to put a high revving inline 4 like an SR20 (with VET conversion) or F22C + turbo into... You get the looks & the handling of the FD, you have a hardtop for better aero without having to dish out big $$$ for one like with the S2K, you fix the reliability problem, you maintain at least some of the spirit of the car by going with a high revving, smaller displacement engine over a torquey v8... would be such a fun track toy and street car.

Have you all seen the SR20VET powered Valtonen RX7 time attack car from Finland? That thing is what dreams are made of for me.

http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/07/...valtonen-rx-7/








[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWuOGFi7ky0[/media]

EDIT: can't get the YouTube video to embed properly.

Zygrene

You know what's crazy? The Elise doesn't blow the S2000 out of the water. After reviewing the non-SC Elise, I can safely say it's nimbler than the S2000 (it's over 800 lbs lighter!) but the engine is moderately disappointing compared to the F series. The Toyota motor is still enjoyable with its 8000+ rpm redline, but the F series is still in a league of its own for a stock 4 cylinder. And the S2000 shifter is COMPLETELY in a class of its own. Nothing I've driven comes remotely close to the mechanical, perfectly weighted, snickety-snick operation.

Really? 6'1" 190 lbs doesn't seem that big. How the hell did Matt Farah fit in the two FD's he reviewed? I remember the driving position felt similar to the S2000 for me, if not a little more spacious.

Yup, another unfortunate quirk of the rotary.

An FD with a tuned F22 pushing around 250whp would be a blast. But the rotary does have its own character that can't be replaced.

The aero on that Valtonen FD is insane!

kerby

a well running fd is like 13-15k the ones above 20k are the super mint ones, alot of fun can be had in a 15k fd.

Micalbertl

forget mpg of the fd lest talk about its mpq. Miles Per Quart. My buddy has an FC and I have to say the maintenance on those cars. I'm not even talking about the fact the engine needs to be rebuilt every 60K miles. I'm talking about everything from AC to fuel lines breaking and the car has 100K miles on it

chubbys2k

Before I ever bought my first s2000, I looked at a fd. They (cosmo motors), was selling theirs for $11000. I knew about the reliability on them. How they get hot and melt things in the engine bay. Always have vacuum problems. It was nice but I couldn't deal with all that. Funny thing was that at the dealership, a s2000 drove by so I ended up looking for one and bought an s. If I was a guy who knew his way with rotarys, I would of gotten it. No doubt, nice cars. Not good for the average car guy with no rotary experience imo.

Oh forgot to add, i hate the usdm front bumpers on the fd. The jdm bumpers look so much better

SilliG

Great video Zygrene once again. Im subed to your channel on youtube. I hope this isn't turning to a DJ request booth, but I would love to see how an 06+ AP2 compares against the new miata to see if it stands the test of time. I have an 07 s2k fairly stock if you need a car just PM me I'm in the bay area.

MaximumAttack

Pfft, an F22C + a turbo at 400hp+ you mean!

And, of course, the sound & the linearity of the rotary makes for a great experience..... but the horrendous inefficiency & reliability would make me enjoy the car more with a different engine, I think.

MaximumAttack

I've been having a hard time finding any good ones for under $20k lately. The price seems to be going up as they become more hard to attain!

Zygrene

Thanks!

It's funny because I've had a few Youtube comments along the lines of "stop comparing every car to your shit S2000 and shit NSX" but then there are people who thank me for the comparisons. Can't please 'em all.

Regardless, I definitely want to review an ND Miata. I'll PM you if I decide to do a comparison.

I still need to find someone with a turbo S2000. I've never experienced a turbo VTEC so I'll reserve judgement until I have.