F2000

The book about the S2000 by D.F. Carney is extremely interesting. (BTW, I think every owner of an S2000 sould have it.)
I took the time to type an interesting paragraph for you. It is long but worth reading.
So, the book says:

Honda viewed the sports car market as breaking into three primary categories: ultraenthusiast, nostalgic, advanced. The ultraenthusiast category of cars are aimed at customers for whom performance cosiderations out-weigh day-to-day practicality. Such cars are fun to drive, but can be hard to live with. They are usually hand-made, or built in extremely limited numbers, and are not usually supported by a large dealer network. Such cars include the Caterham Lotus Super Seven and the Lotus Elise. Nostalgic cars are all the rage recently, but they weren't what Honda had in mind in creating the S2000. Nostalgia cars, by Honda's reckoning, are sports cars that use conventional technology and are often built on existing sedan platforms. They have the style of older cars, but lack modern high-performance technical design. Examples include the BMW Z3 and the Audi TT Spyder. Advanced sports cars are those that match luxury with technology, at the possible expense of driving quality and performance. "These may be be sports cars for owners who are more concerned with making a style statement than relishing driving," said a confidential internal Honda Product Reference Document. The Mercedes SLK is the prime example of this type of sports car. "The recent tendency of sports car design has been to create a car that satisfies the standards of times, including enviromental friendliness, safety, and luxury," said Uehara (Honda's executive chief engineer for the S2000). "This leads to an increase in weight, taking away from dynamic performance. We wanted the S2000 to be the next generation, a real open sports car, delivering excellent dynamic performance along with contemporary features such as low emissions, advanced safety, and passenger comfort." Honda's customers for the S2000 will place greater emphasis on technology than on brand prestige. Despite the company's unparalleled racing history, European brands still cary more cachet with many people. "To our buyers, Honda's racing heritage and its history of technological innovation will be the primary purchase reasons," said Bonawitz.

So, where would you put the Z4?
1) For ultraenthusiasts (Lotus Elise)
2) A nostalgic car (Z3, Audi TT)
3) An advanced sports car (SLK)
4) A next generation sports car (S2000)

Lou S2K

That's beautiful

Lurking Lawyer

In the bin

I'm not quite sure which of the above categories it falls into. I suspect a lot of people who are going to buy the Z4 are going to buy it for the badge, in a similar way to a lot of Boxster drivers do. I guess the category which fits closest to that is the SLK-esque advanced sports car.

hazdjc

F2000

I have the book and agree with you. "Every S2000 owner should have one"

The book makes it very clear why we have the S2000 and what they achieved.

dave

cheshire_carper

This is what I refer to over in the auto express review thread.

zero_to60

the Z4 is bought to 'wear' rather than drive and I don't think that there is necessarily anything wrong with that

I doubt any Z4 buyer gives 2 shits about the dynamics of the car to be honest

My parents have just bought a Ci Sport Coupe and they never mentioned once about driving dynamics...they bought if for looks, comfort and 'cause it drives 'nicely'

W6DAN

Absolutely - it is a fashion accessory rather than a sports car. Similar to the TT.

F2000

[QUOTE]Originally posted by W6DAN
[B]

Absolutely - it is a fashion accessory rather than a sports car.

BSM139

Bharat

Mans Best

I agree, fashion conscious, non-discerning and visually impaired (how can anyone think their rollover toblerone cross sections look any good?) owners only need apply