5 Reasons the S2000 is Unique
The S2000 has established itself in sports car history as a one-of-a-kind roadster. Here are some of the ways it set itself apart.
1. The handling is unquestionably sharp and unique
The S2000 was designed with a sharp-as-hell sense of handling that still places it ahead of the rest. Just how distinctive was this handling? Reportedly, quite a few new S2000 owners ended up in a ditch due to the accidental oversteer. The car wasn't unfair or imprecise with its movements, but it took some getting used to. Even when certain kinks in the handling were normalized with the AP2 facelift a few years into its lifespan, this was never a car for the sports car newbie.
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2. Sticking to the bare necessities
Early on, the S2000 didn't even come with a clock. This is a true, stripped-down sports car at its essence, and nothing that wasn't deemed necessary to that effect was included in the final product. Of course, there's a certain irony for the S2000 as a street driver that a high redline and sharp acceleration would be deemed more necessary than anything else, but we digress; for a sports car that knew what it wanted to achieve, little else was left in its way.
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3. The AP2 facelift almost feels like a different car
The S2000 was always meant to be a niche vehicle for the skilled drivers and gearheads. It was made successful by the enthusiasm of this hardcore minority, so you can bet there would be some controversy should they decide to soften things up. The AP2 facelift made the S2000 considerably easier to drive as opposed to its predecessor, and while there were obvious reasons for Honda to want to open up the car's market appeal, the switch has opened up controversy among the original fanbase.
Needless to say, the original AP1 (as it's commonly referred to in North America) will offer one of the most distinct and tricky drive feels on the mass market. Of course, for anyone who wants a softer familiarized take on the S2K, the AP2 facelift should give you what you're looking for. While auto manufacturers are prone to giving options for their hardcore fans, the S2000 is an oddity that catered to the enthusiasts first before opening accessibility to the public. Of course, even the AP2 isn't your typical sports car, however, and Sunday drivers will be caught unawares by the power it packs. It's enough to remember that there are enough variations on the S2K to feel like you're driving a different car from one end of the spectrum to the other.
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4. A unique high x-bone frame
One of the first things to come together in the S2000's early test design was its "high x-bone frame," giving the car a sleek chassis that maximized safety within a small space. This resulted in the distinctively small interior that the S2000 is known, loved, and sometimes hated for. Above all else, however, the choice of frame endowed the S2K with a race car vibe they might have never experienced before behind the wheel.
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5. There was no closely comparable successor or competition
A car like this could only exist when the economy was doing well. While not suited for the needs of a daily driver, it was arguably too expensive to justify as a backup vehicle. When the auto industry was hit in the wake of the 2008 recession, no one should have been surprised that the S2000 was among the vehicles to go. However, there was never a car that picked up the new void left by its cancellation.
Come to think of it, even at the time the S2000 was still in production, there wasn't another car that tried to fill the same drove of checkboxes. The Mazda Miata has the same sporting look and svelte charm, but the S2000 performed like a demon in comparison. While the Porsche Boxster bears some similarity to the Honda roadster as a high-performance sports car, the Porsche comes at a much higher price tag. However, just the fact alone that we'd need to namedrop top-end names to make comparisons is a testament to its power.
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