2009 Honda S2000

Cozy-Up, Lift-Off

I repeated this on the two-three upshift and was rewarded with a bit more wheelspin. The S2000 then told me the same thing as the CART car: “Be more gentle or you’re going to embarrass yourself.” Having matured slightly over 14 years, I figured I didn’t need to run the S2000 to the redline in third. In the rain. On a public road. Instead, I entered the upcoming off-camber left-hander a hair faster than was prudent. Okay, fast enough to earn chrome wrist jewelry from the police—and was rewarded by a slight and easily catchable tail slide. (Nearby motorists were dialing 911.) When the rear settled down, it required every bit of my scarce willpower to keep from going back to wide-open throttle. Old habits die hard.


The first edition of the S2000 appeared in 1999 as a 2000 model. Its 2.0-liter engine suffered from an overly high torque peak. To get maximum drag-race-style acceleration required a drag-car style launch. The driver held the gas and clutch pedals to the floor and, with the engine bouncing against its 9,000-rpm rev limiter, sidestepped the clutch. That early S2000 would then spin its tires about a rotation and a half until the engine bogged below the torque peak. Then it came to life. It wasn’t easy on the equipment, but to quote the philosopher Tina Turner, we never ever do nothing nice and easy…we always do it nice and rough. With the new 2.2-liter engine, a best-time launch is accomplished at a more reasonable 4,500 rpm or so.


The S2000 is a spectacular—and real—sports car that would have been a cult legend had it appeared in 1969 or 1979 or even 1989. Unfortunately for it, the S2000 debuted when we were infatuated with three-ton station wagons (also known as SUVs). It doesn’t help that the S2000’s starting price is about $35,500.


Still, this is a real sports car. (www.automobiles.honda.com)

About the Author
Mac Demere is a freelance auto writer and former race driver who competed in the NASCAR Southwest Tour and Daytona 24 Hours.