Honda is running an event this weekend for members of the public to try an S2000 and some other Honda products. A friend was invited to this day and despite what it said on the invite, I decided to tag along to spectate. When we arrived at Pro Drives test track in Kenilworth we meet up with some of the other people taking part and naturally started chatting about cars.
We were then picked up and taken to the "pits" in the centre of the track by the Honda staff in a group of brand new CRV's. The site is an old airfield which Pro Drive use for testing cars and new technologies. Everyone signed on, and needed to produce proof of their driving licenses and sign the normal disclaimer form. At this point I asked if I could stand on the side lines and watch, but due to health and safety (total BS) reasons I had to leave. A couple of other people wanted to watch as well. As I thought this might happen I had some others things in the area I could do for the day. So we were taken back to the car park and I left to visit a couple of local attractions. Twenty minutes down the road I got a call from my mate saying they'd had some people not show up, so I hot footed it back and got an opportunity to participate. Can I just say that the roads, and road signage in the midlands is so bad I wanted to get out my car and physical harm someone………………..gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrr.

The day was split into five sections. S2000 overview, wet grip, track, ATV's/lawnmower racing and tarmac rally stage & scooters. There was also a safety briefing, lunch, afternoon tea and prize giving at the end of the day. There were Honda staff on hand to answer any questions, both in a sales and technical capacity. At no time was there any pressure to sign up for further details or to buy, brochures were simply laid out for people to take. Today was about having some fun with some of Honda’s product range not a full on sales drive.

As I arrived late I missed the S2000 overview (no harm done as I know all about it already ), and joined in with the wet grip. Much like the wet grip facility at Rockingham you had to try and control the car on the ice like road. The idea was to show you how the Accord, Legend and S2000 dealt with an icy or very wet road with the traction control (VSA) on and then off. I was taken out by the instructor to see how it's done, and then I had a turn in the S2000 and then Accord. The VSA did make a big difference as you'd expect and made it much easier to catch a slide, but you could still catch it out if you drove like a twat. TBH I’m not a big fan of driver aids as I prefer driver training, but I could see a real practical use for it on icy roads, and learned a thing of two.

After that I was taken out for some fast, power sliding laps in a modified white S2000. It was an pre 02 car with later headlights and wheels on. By all accounts it's owned by the Honda F1 team, and the handling had clearly been much improved at the cost of ride comfort. Under the bonnet all that had been changed was a Mugen CAI and full Mugen exhaust, so no massive supercharger was waiting under the carbon fibre bonnet . The guy behind the wheel knew how to handle the car and gave me a great spin round the airfield track that had been put in place for us to use all day. He kept unsettling the rear end when going into corners which would do nothing for a fast lap time but put a massive grin on my face, and the four point race harness kept me in my seat for the whole ride.

Our group then got a chance to test drive both the S2000 and the new Civic Type R round the track. The guy in the Civic was superb and advised you how to get the best out of the car. He was really throwing it around and got the guy in the passenger seat to almost throw up he was driving that aggressively. I then had a chance to try the Civic myself, and I must admit it did drive very well. The handling was very good (I've talk more about that later). Compared to the S the Civic lacked the grunt down the straights, and naturally it doesn't power out of the corners as well being fwd. It feels more top heavy than the pervious model but you’d expect that just from looking at the thing. I loved the look of the concept car and was surprised the final car looked almost unchanged. By all accounts the American market is very keen on the European Civic and would like to get their hands on some instead of the Jap Civic they have. I do think some of the design is there for designs sake, and is a bit too fussy for my liking. I much prefer cars with clean lines, like the S. However if I was given one I'd be very happy.

I jokingly said to one of the Honda staff that they should do the CTR in white, and he explained why they don’t. Basically Honda only use water based painted in the EU market due to different environmental laws, compared to more traditional oil based paints. This means they need to apply much more paint, and trying to get a good colour match between plastics and metal is that much harder. This adds to the cost and explains why the white S is a premium colour with a price. He then said something about the white cars for the EU market where inspected to ensure a good colour match. So basically it’s the EU’s fault Honda don’t offer white cars across the range like they do in other parts of the World. When he started working for Honda he was told two things. People will ask for their car in white, and ask why the DC5 is not available in the UK

Next onto the S2000. The 07 S2000 felt very much the same as my02, with the only big difference being the newer condition of the gearbox and clutch. I didn't feel the all the little changes between 02 and 07 made that much of a difference (except the VSA). And in some ways it was sad, because I now know that I’d never want to get another S2000 if I sold mine, as the newer cars are basically the same with a few cosmetic changes. However I would like to do a better side by side comparison one day should the chance arise.

I was hoping to get another go in the Civic but just before the end of the session the last three Civics that all came back into the pits and to re fuel so I didn't get another go in the Civic on track.

We then stopped for a very nice lunch, and had a chance to chat to other people about what they had been doing, and general chatting about cars. The weather in the morning was grey and overcast, we had a brief rain shower during lunch, but the rest of the day was clear blue skies.

We then proceeded after lunch to the ATV's and Lawnmowers. We got taken in another CRV convoy to another part of the site and all got suited up in water proof gear and got a crash course in how to use these low powered quad bikes. We where then taken on an off road course with mud everywhere (bear in mind just how much rain we’ve had of late), and deep tracks full of dirty murky water. Not the kind of thing you’d want to fall into off your quad. There was a chance to test the atv’s hill climbing and decent capabilities. There was also a brief lawnmower race against the clock which was a bit silly, and they could have made much more of. It was a bit of an after thought imo.

I then got a high speed passenger ride on the back of a Honda Blackbird on some public roads. The guy didn't go mad as the local police had been patrolling the local roads as they had nothing better to do with their time and knew of the event and the chance of making a few quid was too good to pass up. I’ve ridden pillion for years now so the acceleration was nothing new to me. It was just nice to go out for a blast on the roads. The rider naturally didn’t take any risks but still gave you an idea of what the machine could do in the right hands. If you had a full bike license then you were more than welcome to take a bike for a spin on the area coned off. They had Honda Blackbirds, Gold Wings and a Pan European to try out. I then jumped onto one of the Honda scooters and almost made a total fool of myself. It's a been a few years since I'd ridden anything, and I took out a traffic cone with my knee when setting off It was great fun to ride, and I see the appeal to kids these days as you get that sense of speed and noise as you go along. The instructor did say that someone dropped one of them when he got on the grass earlier in the day

We then moved onto the tarmac rally in the Civic Type R. It was more of a go kart track than a full circuit. The Pro Drive instructor took me out first of all to talk me through the best lines to take. He was very good, and never seemed rushed or flustered behind the wheel. He inspired confidence and showed you what the car could do. After a few laps we swapped over and I got the chance to really put the CTR through it's paces, albeit in a much more enclosed space than before on track. The car really did well and the handling was spot on for this tight course. It didn't notice the body roll as I was focusing on driving but it didn’t seem too bad for what looks to be a top heavy car. I especially loved the bucket seats, as they really gripped and held you in place when you were throwing the car about. I'm now wondering if you could get a pair to fit the S I liked them that much. The instructor was impressed with my driving and said I had a very smooth style, which is not the first time I’ve been told that. I don’t like making erratic movements of the controls as it does nothing but unsettles the car. We had to pull over mid way through the session as the brakes had taken a real hammering and stank the car out. Also after a while of this type of driving you start to feel light headed and sick even as the driver so it was a welcome brake. I then went out for another go and really felt I was making good progress before I had to knock it on the head. I felt the CTR had so much more to give and I had to really drive like an idiot to get it to under steer into one of the hairpins. And with that the day was almost over.

We then went back to the pits and had some tea, and another chance to chat with the instructors, Honda staff and technical guys. During the whole day there was a camera crew on site filming for the Honda website. I got roped into a couple of interviews about the day and about the products on show. I also spoke about the comparison between my S and the current one. So I had my fifteen minutes of fame.

After tea they handed out a Honda goody bag with the usual Honda branded stuff and latest brochures. Also five people got the chance to have a passenger ride in the Aerial Atom. It was the supercharged version which Aerial normally lend out to the journalists to test drive. They had driven up that day from Devon, and I had a quick chat with one of their staff about the car. The five lucky people were the people who set the fastest time on the Honda F1 simulator, the best person on track, the fastest time for the lawnmower challenge, the best driver on the wet grip facility and the best driver on the tarmac section. Sadly to say I didn’t win, but I’ve been out in an Atom before so I know what it’s like.

By this time it was 5 o’clock and my mate and I made our way back home. All in all it was an excellent day out, and considering it was totally free made it even better. With any luck I’ll get invited to similar events now I’m on Honda’s radar so to speak.

Here are the few photos I took of the day. I didn't get a chance to take very many as your busy having fun

 

Sh** - even the lawnmower looks fast.

Sounds like a great day out.

The Ariel Atom looks a hoot.
A mate of mine ( we meet up at Le Mans each year ) bought one. Had it for 20 days then totalled it big time. Never even got a photo of it.

What's funny though is 2 days after he wrote it off - the Polo Shirt he ordered of the Ariel (owners club?? ) with his name on it turned up.

C'est la vie.

 

Excellent write up Jamie

Glad you were fortunate enough to enjoy the day whilst us mere mortals just enjoyed the rain

Andy

 

Nice

That white S has been messed with
+04 front Mugen splitter
+04 alloys
+04 front & rear lights
Rear Mugen bumper
Mugen Bonnet
All on a what I'd guess is a 99-01 JDM car

 

interested to know how you work it out it is a jdm from those photos?

 

It has headlight washers so *very* unlikely to be a JDM.

Looks to me like a Mugenised S. Did it have standard suspension?

Nice writeup, looks like a very good day out.

 

Because it is white maybe?

Nice write up Jamie - sounds like a fun filled day.

 

presuming it hasn't had a respray

 

might be..

but the headlight/indicator stalk is on the wrong side for a 99-01jdm

 

Leather seats, headlight washers, and buttons for it, so doesn't look like a JDM.

But the rear is obviously designed for a square JDM style plate.

If that belongs to Honda F1, what are they doing making a chavved up S? No wonder they're doing crap.