F1 FOR THE PEOPLE (some text hidden) --NONE--

BY ANDY ENRIGHT

Introductionword count: 213

Honda celebrated its 50th birthday with a present to itself, the manic S2000 roadster. With one of the most remarkable engines ever built, this was the Japanese giant's way of flexing its corporate muscle, showing just how clever it could be. 240bhp from a normally aspirated 2.0-litre engine? That was a higher specific output than a twin turbocharged Lotus Esprit V8 GT and indicated how far Honda had raised the technical bar. The rest of the car benefited from their vast expertise in motorsport, and promised nirvana for the enthusiast driver. As used examples filter onto the UK market, is the S2000 an affordable dream or a potential nightmare? Find out here. Here is a car that, on paper at least, offered performance to match the range-topping NSX model at less than half its price. Throw in sharky good looks and an engine that brought the soundtrack of a Formula One pit lane to a trunk road near you, and you've got a recipe for success. After an initial bout of high demand, the S2000 has disappeared from the 'most wanted' list. Has it been eclipsed by better rivals or was the mix just a little too main for the British roadster buyer? Find out here if a used S2000 makes the grade

Modelsword count: 7

Models Covered: (2 dr roadster 2.0 petrol)

Historyword count: 149

The history of the S2000 goes way back to the first of the Honda S-cars, the S360 and S500 unveiled at the 1963 Tokyo Motor Show. Early models revved to 14,000 rpm and were powered by chain drive, betraying Honda's roots as a motorcycle manufacturer. 1965 saw the S800, and it wasn't until 1999, with the 50th anniversary of Honda that we saw the arrival in the UK of the S2000. Since its launch, little has changed. In late 2000, an optional hardtop with a heated rear screen was offered, in part to placate those who felt that the S2000 was somewhat uncompromising. The 2.0-litre engine, developing 237bhp, boasts a specific output of 119bhp per litre, a record for a non-turbocharged car. In early 2004 a number of changes were made to the S2000's suspension, in part to tame what some owners felt to be a notable tail happiness.

What You Getword count: 496

In a battle for showroom appeal, a Honda S2000 would trail a distant third behind an Audi TT roadster and a Mercedes SLK. Yes, you get grippy leather seats and, well, that's about it. There are vast expanses of plastic in a cabin that looks a little bland for the price. It's not until you turn the key that you realise where the money's gone. Turn that key - and nothing happens. Not until you realise that someone with a charming sense of eccentricity in the Honda design department has decreed that this car should have a push-button starter. You'll find it to the right of the steering wheel, inscribed with the legend 'ENGINE START'. Press it and the fun begins. The first thing you notice is the F1-style instrument display, with its digital speedo in the middle and a LED rev counter arching over it like a rainbow. The graphics suggest that you can light it up all the way to 9,000rpm - and for once they don't lie. This is the highest revving production engine you can buy, a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre unit that puts out an astonishing 237bhp without the aid of a turbocharger. This is the highest output per litre of any production car engine in the world, a unit which makes most other powerplants look like something out of the Ark. To put it into perspective, most normally aspirated 2.0-litre engines struggle to put out 150bhp. This is Honda emphasising its position as the world's biggest engine manufacturer. It alone has never resorted to the crude medium of turbocharging to boost the output of its engines and the engineers say they never will. Anyway, if you're going to give yourself a present, you might as well do the job properly. Which is why almost nothing about the S2000 is borrowed from any other Honda model. The platform it sits on is completely new, as is the classic rear wheel drive set-up. That glorious engine meanwhile, though on paper front-mounted, in practice sits between the front axle and the dashboard for near perfect weight distribution. In true Honda tradition, this is a car that anyone can easily drive with a light clutch and good all-round visibility. There's even an electric folding roof which lowers or raises in only ten seconds. I would advise however that you pay a little extra for the optional wind deflector, an oblong square of glass that sits between the seats and stops you from being flayed alive by your own hair. Everything you'd expect to find fitted as standard is included - a gorgeous set of alloys, air conditioning, ABS, an alarm, headlamp washers, remote control for the stereo and so on. Curiously, on a car of this price, there's no traction control system: Honda says a limited slip differential is all that's needed to keep all that horsepower in check. Nonetheless, minimalism appears to be the order of the day; that and a soundtrack to die for.

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