OK, so this weekend they have this Minnie Pearl driving challenge sponsored by the Mini Coopers of Nashville TN. They had 3 S2000 there and they beat more than a few cars with more tourqe

 

Wow that does sound like alotta fun, i gotta come out there sometime adn try that course. As for the torque stuff, i dont really know what the fuss is about maybe because its commin from american muscle views but i do know with alittle FI we no longer really have torque issues id guess but i dont really know what a "good" torque number would be

 

the car is a track car, the car lacks torque for drag racing, for track driving the car has sufficent torque. thats why the car responds well in the corners all the power stays to the ground with limited slipping, only problem with that is when the S comes around shes hard to get her back into shape with the lack of torque, but Kyushin is right boost her not any complaints there. btw nice run

 

the torque complaint has to do with lower in the rpm range. If you have to come out of a slow 5mph corner, a car that makes a ton of torque at 1500-2000 rpms is going to have the advantage. The engine was designed to be kept in the upper rpm range, because that's where it made power. Compared to a car like the Mustang GT, which you can drive around below 3000 rpms all day but will light up the tires on anything but dry pavement at anything above 3000 rpms just by slamming the gas. Variety is the spice of life.

The S2000 was designed for tracks. Light weight for higher corner speeds and a high rpm powerband mated to short gears for optimum acceleration. The combination maximizes the time you spend at high rpms on most tracks. Lotus was famous for this kind of car, as were many other companies at one time or another. The little Porsche 550 Speedster had maybe 115hp, but the cars were crazy for the time. An aerodynamic gokart, basically. The 914 as well. The Jaguar E-type is one of the kings of the class. The four cylinder Ferraris. OK, the Miata, too Trade-offs are made, but whatever is given up as a daily driver makes it better as a sports car.