Long before I could finally buy my S2000, it held a special place in my thoughts as a high mark in the car world. The first thing that drew me to the S2k when it was released was the styling/design. And then I learned more about how it was built to perform with it’s chassis and engine. I remember reading in car magazines about how it had the highest horsepower per liter of any production NA engine up to that point and being absolutely amazed what Honda pulled off on a reasonably priced car! I’ve had my S2k for several years now and have not had any regrets about the purchase.

I’ve also been a Ferrari fan most of my life. And so, it didn’t come as much surprise back when the 458 was released, it took over the honor of having the highest horsepower per liter of production NA engines. What is surprising and deeply impressive is that Honda did it 10 years prior on a relatively low priced sports car. Both the S2k and the 458 engines have received numerous awards and accolades over the years. So, the 458 has also held a special place in my thoughts as a high mark.

I was in the fortunate position that I could add a car to my small collection late 2024. The 458 Spider was on my very short list of cars that I considered. I love the styling of this car and I’ve always been curious how it would compare to the S2k since they are both drop top sports cars with 9k rpm redline! In youtube videos, the 458 seems to have a similar tone to the S2k. Yes, I know it’s still ridiculous to compare a front mid engine Honda with a manual transmission to a true mid engine Ferrari with a dual clutch F1 transmission that costs many multiples. But, I’m just an enthusiast and thought it would be fun to write about my experience.


Other than an upgraded front sway bar, my 2003 is all stock. Whenever I drive the S2k, I love just listening to the engine/exhaust notes. The fact that the stock stereo in the Ap1 is not very good contributes to this as well. But as I drive, it’s fun to hear the buzzy nature of the engine and how quickly it revs. Speed shifting through the gears is so satisfying with this car that whenever I take it out on a drive, I really have to force myself to stop and go back home. Such is the fun nature of driving the S2k and I know I’m preaching to the choir here. Especially fun is how the whole car’s attitude feels in corners. It’s odd how the steering doesn’t have much feeling coming through but yet the rest of the car is communicative so it kind of makes up for this deficiency. One of the things that I always do with cars is to try to go through a roundabout with increasing speed. The goal being to feel the point when front tires are fighting and slightly slipping grip. In the S2k, there isn’t much about this coming through the steering wheel. But the rest of the car communicates this fairly well. I’ve had the opportunity to drive my S2k on many pleasure drives on curvy roads as well as a couple track days. For me, the brakes feel pretty good and I don’t find them lacking. I did spin the car on a track day which helped me to better understand this car when it’s pushed. And to better respect it’s limits.

I love how the interior of the S2k is driver focused. As you all know, the S2k is pretty tight on the inside with not much room but yet it’s still fairly comfortable even on longer drives. Sure, there are some minor rattles/noises when going over bumps in the road but I’ve driven much worse in this respect. The steering may not be very communicative but it is very quick! And the fact that you can really toss the S2k into a corner and feel that it’s a fairly light and nimble little thing never gets old. Reviewers have mentioned how these qualities make the S2k feel like a car that you wear and makes you feel one with the car as you drive it. Combine this with how the engine note sounds, it definitely helps me suspend disbelief and makes it easy to pretend that I’m driving an F1 car. Of course, the Senna like gauge cluster doesn’t hurt either!

The 458 Spider has dimensions of being a bit longer and wider overall. I haven’t had it sitting next to the S2k yet so not sure how low it sits in comparison. But I can say that as you descend into the driver seat of the 458, it definitely feels like you sit lower. Even though there isn’t much room on the inside of the car, it doesn’t feel as cramped as the S2k. Both cars have a similar starting procedure where you put in a physical key, turn it, and then you push the red start button. On the 458 it’s placed on the steering wheel itself on the left side. The guage cluster is driver focused with the RPM guage taking center stage as in the S2k. To the right are the controls for the stereo but who cares about that. As the engine starts and car comes to life, you get a sense that you’re sitting in something special. The engine note has a more growly and serious nature to it than the S2k buzziness.

Getting the 458 onto the road, you can tell that the car is put together a bit better because there is a lack of rattles/noises. The steering while not the most communicative out there, is still more so than the S2k. I mentioned how in youtube videos the 458 seems to have a similar tone to the S2k. Well, when actually in the car, the sound is louder and much more savage. The car rips and snarls to it’s 9k redline like no other. Talk about suspending disbelief to make you feel like you’re in an F1 car! The dual clutch shifts really fast and with such force that upshifts can feel like shotgun blasts to the back. Unlike the S2k, the torque is there fairly early on and you don’t have to rev it out to make good power.

From my understanding, the driver seating position in the 458 was designed to be where the hips are fairly close to being midship. This along with the fantastic handling of this car, makes it an absolute joy in the corners. The whole car feels like it is rotating with you and the steering is fast and direct and you feel one with it. This quality has similarities to the S2k. But of course, the 458 has much higher limits. Speaking of higher limits, the brakes are amazing on this thing. As soon as you let off the throttle, the calipers snug up to the discs. So that way, whenever you apply any pressure it is immediate.

As a car enthusiast, I’ve figured out the qualities that are most important to me. Also, I can definitely tell you what isn’t important to me. And that is 0-60 times. Honestly, the horsepower figures also don’t really matter much to me. What does matter is that I love the styling of the car, engine sounds great, and that the car is communicative and fun to drive. I also learned early on to listen to what others say about cars. One thing that I always pay attention to in reviews/comments about a car is that “it’s so fast that you can be driving it and all of a sudden realize that you’re going too fast.” I’ve heard this description from so many car enthusiasts and even read it in some reviews. And they always mention it as a positive and something to be in awe about. Well, to me, this is a dead give away that the car is likely not what I consider to be a drivers car. A drivers car has to be fun to drive and should communicate a sense of speed to you. I think the S2k is a standout in this area because especially with the top down, you can feel like you’re going faster than you really are. The 458 of course is much more powerful so when getting on it, you really are going fast. But so far, I’ve found that it communicates speed very well and is fun to drive even regular traffic.

However, when driving the 458 Spider, there is no such thing as blending into traffic. Everyone stares and some people will go out of their way to give you a thumbs up or take a photo. There is no way to drive this car and go unnoticed unfortunately. This is a major advantage of driving the S2k. Only those who truly know, pay attention to it. Everyone else disregards it as another Honda.

The S2k soft top drops in about 7 seconds from what I’ve read. The 458 Spider has a folding hard top which takes about twice as long to drop. In real world use it doesn’t really feel like it takes that much longer though. A really neat feature of the 458 Spider is that you can lower the rear window even with the top up. So, regardless of weather, you can lower the rear window and get the full engine sounds coming in behind you!

My favorite S2k experience is late summer evenings when the sun is setting and it’s still warm outside. I can comfortably have the top down and speed down twisty roads while the breeze feels refreshing and rejuvenating. It's an amazing sensation along with hearing the roar from the cam change as it hits VTECH! I just got my 458 Spider a couple months ago. So I haven’t yet had the summer top down experience in it. I’m really looking forward to doing open top drives in it this coming summer. For now, they are waiting out the winter.

 

Very nice. Post up pics of the 550, that's still one of my favorite front engine F cars of the last 30 years.

 

Great write up!

That 550 would be my DD - love the blue too.

 

Thanks. I got inspired by another S2ki member that posts thoughts on comparing the S2k to other cars.
As requested, here are some 550 photos.

 

Great write-up! The 458 is the last NA mid-engine V8. One of the all-time greats, congratulations!! The rest of your stable is quite nice too! Enjoy in good health and looking forward to periodic updates as it gets into the nice weather months where you can lower the top and get some nice drives in.

 

Gotta love the gated shifter in the 550M. Congrats on the 458!

 

Now there's a well curated garage.
Extra points for no shields on the 550
Back in the day, one of the C suite guys where I worked in MA had one, and I have fond memories of him letting it rip
Fellow LC owner here (convertible) and I am sure you enjoy that as well

 

Thanks, the LC500 is such an amazing car and I absolutely love it. I've taken it on multi-state 2000+ mile rallies to timed road races to pleasure drives and it performs admirably in every situation. Congrats on your LC convertible. I've not ridden in an LC convertible yet but I'm sure it must be an amazing experience especially since you can hear the exhaust note even better.

 

The 458 is a fantastic car. Maybe, one day I'll be able to drive one.

You have a nice garage full of toys.

 

Great read. Love that Maranello. Amongst the best looking Ferraris of that era, in my opinion.