This Parisian S2000 is Fashionable Fancy

From Paris with love

When you think of a place like Paris, the first things to come to mind are art, high fashion, rich history, and of course croissants. However, it would be a far stretch for anyone to pop up and exclaim something about an import scene, but here we are. Cars are one of those things that allow us to speak a universal language no matter where we may call our birthplaces. So in the town of Villemoisson Sur Orge lives Nicolas Rouillon and his 2004 S2000. 

Nicolas says that the influence for his build came not only from his fellow local S2000 owners but also from those here in the states via the internet. “I have been a fan of the S2000 since its inception,” Nicolas explains. “I never thought I would ever own one but it became the car of my dreams. It didn’t even matter if it was modified or not, I just loved how it looked.”

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The internet makes the world smaller

The year 2007 is when he made his purchase, a 2001 Monte Carlo Blue AP1, and brought his dream car home. Well, that car lasted for a year before he switched it out for a Navy Blue (a color not available to us in the U.S.) AP2. He then began searching for a owners group near him and finally happened upon S2000 Passion. 

“I was able to meet a number of S2000 owners through that forum. We often exchanged ideas on how to mod and make changes to our cars. Every year, we met up to make an S2000-dedicated cruise through various cities in France. The trips would last about a week and would take us to places like Cannes and Monaco. I had a lot of fun making these trips and met many great friends because of it.”

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Fast forward

Three years later his AP2 became what you see here. The first thing that came off the car was the stock exhaust and suspension system. Nicolas replaced the former with an HKS Hi-Power exhaust system and a TEIN Monoflex set-up for the latter. The hardest decision he says that he had to make was to change up the wheels. “It took me six months to come up with the perfect wheel for the car. I wanted a five-spoke design with chrome and a really low offset. It also had to be rare in France and a high-quality wheel. The Work Meister S1 fit my criteria but it came down to the sizing of the rim that would make or break the flow of the car.”

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Learning from others

For the wheel setup, Nicolas wanted something that was a bit out of the realm of the norm for this fellow countrymen to wrap their heads ahead: an aggressive stance. “Having a car that was ‘flush’ was gaining popularity back then, but it really wasn’t anything new. European car enthusiasts have been doing it for years, but I aspired to be the first in France to achieve this style on a Japanese car.”

“I came upon another S2000 belonging to Alex Zhao. Alex also had an S2000, but his wheel specs were way more aggressive than what I was looking for. I explained to him that I wanted something aggressive, but still suitable for regular driving. He actually knew the exact wheel specs that Luteman ran. That gave me the confidence to order the wheels with the proper calculations.”

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Just create what you want

After five months the wheels arrived from Japan and after widening the fenders they were installed. The AP2 then saw its trunk lid and trunk locks shaved along with the emblems removed for a more streamlined appearance. As for the color of the Work S1 wheels, Nicolas says  “I honestly made them pink because of a dare. It is reversible if I ever chose to go back to white because the pink is an adhesive film.”

The favorite custom creation is the rear diffuser that was modeled after the Top One concept model he spotted in an image. After showing his brother the picture, the diffuser was recreated in a similar style using a material known as DIBOND. When asked about what mods are next Nicolas remarks  I have so much more planned in the future for this car, particularly under the hood. I’ve just been hesitant to do any major engine modifications because it is frowned upon here in France and can lead to some pretty serious consequences. For now, I am happy with what I have. This is a dream come true for me and I must thank all of you in America for the motivation!”

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