Daily Slideshow: This Turbocharged K24 Swapped S2000 is an Auto Superfan's Dream
Duc Trinh's lifelong obsession with cars has been fraught with obstacles, but his persistence paid off with this gem of a modified S2000.
This is a story of passion and persistence
A lot of us have been desensitized to age-old optimistic sayings about perseverance and passion winning the day. It's easy to think of wholesome platitudes like that as the stuff of naive fiction. Yet in car superfan Duc Trinh, we've got a case where that turned out to be true.
Trinh's journey with cars began as a teenager when he started saving pocket change in the hopes of getting a car. Years later, Trinh's dream went on to produce this gem of an S2000.
>>Join the conversation about Duc's Turbocharged K24 Swapped S2000 right here in S2Ki.com.
The S2000 is a DIY modder's dream car
The S2000 is a love letter to DIY modding. There's something about the car's purely sporting design that brings out the best in the imaginations of owners who want to make theirs unique. Duc Trinh's relationship with cars has been imbued with passion long before and since his treatment of this AP2 S2000, but there's something about this car that really stands out.
It seems like everything was deadset against Trinh from the start. Although we know now that he'd make it through, there was every opportunity for him to take the apparent hint and give up the dream. After saving enough lunch money to buy his first car (we're not making this up!) he already met his first obstacles. Not only was he too young to drive his car (a used 1989 Honda Civic) but his parents coerced him into giving the car back.
>>Join the conversation about Duc's Turbocharged K24 Swapped S2000 right here in S2Ki.com.
It took a string of misfortunes to find success
It seems like everything was deadset against Trinh from the start. Although we know now that he'd make it through, there was every opportunity for him to take the apparent hint and give up the dream. After saving enough lunch money to buy his first car (we're not making this up!) he already met his first obstacles. Not only was he too young to drive his car (a used 1989 Honda Civic) but his parents coerced him into giving the car back.
He was fortunately unphased by this setback, giving it some years until settling into a liking of front-wheel Hondas. The white AP2 shown here isn't actually the first S2000 Trinh owned. He purchased an AP1 and fell in love with it, only to have it stolen by thieves and having its parts cannibalized. As soul-crushing as this was, Trinh kept his eyes out for another affordable S2000, ultimately getting this AP2 from a seller in Indiana and proceeding to mod the living hell out of it.
>>Join the conversation about Duc's Turbocharged K24 Swapped S2000 right here in S2Ki.com.
Tender care and modification
There's some hubris in souping up the specs of a car already considered by some to be overpowered in its basic stock form. Even as a "soft S2000" AP2, Trinh had a crazily powerful foundation to work upon, and he still drove it up the proverbial wall with mods. Cornerstoned by a turbocharged K24 engine block, the Trinh AP2 has been rated at 501 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque.
>>Join the conversation about Duc's Turbocharged K24 Swapped S2000 right here in S2Ki.com.
All the investment and hardship certainly paid off!
You know you've got a great car when it could suit the test track every bit as well as the streets. Likewise, there's proof of style when a car like this AP2 can be admired even by people who don't know cars from a way to get around. When you consider this entire journey essentially begin by skimping out on school pizza, it's a pretty incredible development. Duc Trinh hasn't exactly been shy about showboating his creation either; this refined AP2 earned over 20 awards by the time it was first covered in Super Street Online. And the success didn't stop there...
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But the story didn't end there for Trinh...
When Super Street Online first dropped the story on Duc Trinh a couple of years back, there was already every reason to believe he could run with the momentum and go on to even greater things. Fast forward to the present, and Trinh's made due on realizing his potential... although it wouldn't have taken a seer to predict that!
As of 2018, Trinh's still got the AP2 around, but his latest fixation has been a yellow Lotus Elise. Entitled "Project 111R" after the sports car's European designation, this creation has all the makings of a bona fide supercar.
>>Join the conversation about Duc's Turbocharged K24 Swapped S2000 right here in S2Ki.com.
At last, a supercar for a car superfan.
Perhaps we're biased, but the AP2 S2000 still remains the coolest looking auto project Trinh has set his mind to. The S2000 is a beast even in its stock form, lending further evidence to the notion that the S2000 is the perfect place for a modder to get serious. Looking at this Lotus Elise, it doesn't take a detective to spot out the signs of his subsequent success. Boasting a set of team decals and a healthily busy competition schedule, Duc Trinh has all but "made it" in the car world...
...but it was the S2000 where the dream truly came to life.
>>Join the conversation about Duc's Turbocharged K24 Swapped S2000 right here in S2Ki.com.