Daily Slideshow: Best of Both Worlds
This NSX-swapped S2000 keeps it in the family and takes it to the track.
Blank Generation
So many questions. Why Gulf racing colors? How expensive was the NSX engine? Why not turbocharge the F20C? Isn't it heavier up front? What about the stock NSX engine's reputation for oil starvation in competitive environments? Won't this devalue an S2000 in a rising market for mint originals? We can't answer all of those questions but we'll fill in as many blanks as we can. To start with, the shop that performed the swap, ECU Performance, is located in Austria, and they decided to build themselves a track day race car to celebrate their tenth anniversary in business. The crew at ECU were looking for something with rear wheel drive, something light, and something reliable. With those requirements, an S2000 was a natural for their short list—if only it had a little more power.
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C32B
The little Honda made the cut, but not without ECU making some cuts of its own, and the F20C was the first casualty. While they didn't want to resort to the common and effective solution turbocharging provides to the problem of power, they did want to stay on-brand, and so the decision was made to look to Acura with the oldest fix in the book—more cubes. A naturally-aspirated C32B 3.2-liter V6 was sourced from an Acura NSX, but at around 280 hp—only 40 more than a stock S2000—the NSX engine would need work to transform the S2000 into the race car they wanted it to become.
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S3500
ECU stroked the C32B to create a 3.5-liter C35B which they dubbed the S3500. Other modifications to the engine include ported heads, Jenvey individual throttle body fuel injection, TODA VTEC Killer camshafts, dual Bosch 044 external fuel pumps, and custom headers and exhaust. Since ECU Performance was already a Haltech ECU dealer, they naturally went with a Haltech engine management system—in this case, a Platinum Series Sport 2000 ECU tied into a modified wiring harness. Other electronic goodies include a Haltech HPI6 igniter, dual Haltech coils, a Zeitronix Wideband Kit, and an AIM MXL display.
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Getting Serious
So how did ECU remedy the NSX engine's perceived propensity for deficient race day oiling? With a dry sump lubrication system. The shop also replaced the factory S2000 transmission with a Drenth sequential 6-speed gearbox, fitted with a twin-plate Tilton competition clutch. Suspension duties are handled by KW Competition coilovers, and of course, the S2000 was fitted with a full roll cage that protects while it stiffens. A Recaro racing seat, Schroth harness system, and ATL fuel cell add to the safety factor. We can't say for sure what these changes did to the S2000's price on the market, but its track value has risen considerably.
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Blue and Orange
A heavily vented hood helps keep the V6's greater bulk cool, a bulk which, due to the engine's short length, fit aft of the strut towers. A sleek fastback-style hardtop helps with aerodynamics and looks good doing it. Covering those, along with the rest of the top portion of the bodywork, is the aforementioned Gulf motorsport livery, offset by a heavy dose of black beneath. With everything from cafe racers to Camaros wearing the Blue and Orange these days, we'd argue it's public domain and not just for Porsches and Fords anymore. Rounding out the list of aero treatments are a revised underbody, a rear diffuser, and of course the requisite giant carbon wing out back. With 450 horsepower and 400 nm of torque at the rear hubs, the throttle response of a non-turbo at the right foot, and the balance of an S2000 chassis available at the fingertips, this S3500 could just be the best of both worlds.
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