I don't care if it has 100 more hp, it's still a fwd econobox, and it's not going to get any consideration as a potential future purchase from me. I don't care how fast it goes nearly as much as how much fun it is, and I feel confident that the S2000 will prevail for drivers who appreciate rwd handling dynamics and the feeling of top-down driving.

I really find it hard to imagine many purchasers cross-shopping these 2 cars...


[QUOTE]Originally posted by slick rick
[B]

 

While the CTR might be a great car on its own, it's not anything I'd ever consider over an S2000.

 

S2200. Hmm. Although I haven't seen the S2200 PR yet, from what C/D and R&T hinted, Honda is at risk of following an unfortunate, historical automotive product life cycle trend called "GoldChainism."

Goes like this... Engineers design a visceral, fun sports car which runs a few years in market. Bureaucrats then pork out the next generation with poser-friendly styling add-ons and "features" (rarely substantiated by market research).

Examples:
- 1st Gen 240Z vs. 280 ZX & 300 ZX (pre-90 Twin Turbo)
- 88-91 CRX vs. 92+ Del Sol
- 1st Gen 67-69 Z/28 vs. 2nd Gen Z28 (note absence of a slash / in the naming of 2nd & later gen naming...)
- 1st Gen RX7 vs. 2nd Gen RX7

There are some fun aspects and options that came out in second gen, but they're not as "pure" in execution as the original. You get the idea. Some marques (Porsche) are smart enough to avoid this trap (and still make money), but sadly there are far more trendy, money-paying posers out there than true enthusiasts... enthusiasts who get up early on weekends to appreciate the feel and experience a S2000 offers on-track / autocross or on a twisty deserted road.

Instead of the $ & tooling necessary for a redesign, I'd rather have had the S2000's product development team take a few Vishnu and Mugen engineers out for beers and sketch a way to EVO-ize the S2000 without compromising too much of its character.

Some Vishnu tuning, Mugen machine work (to fit 8.8:1 compression & cam timing), and HKS GT2835 turbo (3500 RPM & up @ 17.5 PSI) might richen up the bottom end without compromising reliability or the rev-happy nature of the car. The cylinder head has to flow as well as the EVO's, and with some optimization of the short block it could be fun.

M/T ran a 12.80 @ 109 in HKS's latest EVO at 3270 lbs. Scandalous as it sounds, if someone offered to swap an EVO engine into my S, I might be willing to trade off 1500 RPM of redline for that kind of scoot.

My $.02

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by stantaur
[B]....(to fit 8.8:1 compression & cam timing), and HKS GT2835 turbo (3500 RPM & up @ 17.5 PSI) might richen up the bottom end without compromising reliability or the rev-happy nature of the car.

 

That HKS Evo has like $15,000 in mods. With that much money, I'd be expecting that beast to run 11's or less, not high 12's. Apparently, someone raped them in install costs or they don't know what to buy.

 

All the more reason to have bought an earlier version of the car. I'm extremely happy with my MY2000 S2000.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by stantaur
[B]S2200.