the s2k blog

To mark the end of an almost 10 year run of the legendary roadster, Honda has announced the s2000 Ultimate Edition which is set to be released in March of this year in Europe, ahead of the scheduled June 2009 production end of the car.

The Ultimate Edition will have the same drive train as the current ‘09 s2000, and will be available in Gran Prix White with graphite colored wheels. A red leather interior will contrast the body color and will also have numbered placards on the kick panels to designate the number in the series.

Since it’s introduction in 1999, the Honda s2000 has sold 110,673 units worldwide. The s2000 Ultimate Edition will first be displayed at the Geneva International Motorshow, starting March 3rd. No word yet on whether the Ultimate Edition will be exported to the United States, or if we might get our own special “send-off” version of the car.

Rumors abounded that for the 10th model year and as a celebration of the company’s 60th anniversary, Honda would re-conceptualize its two-speed convertible, the S2000. Concept drawings appeared on the Internet and hopes ran high, but alas, Edmunds confirms the truth. “There are no significant changes to the 2009 Honda S2000.” But is that necessarily a reason to dismiss an affordable sports car that knocks off zero to sixty in under six seconds?

Look at the sleek aerodynamics of the 2009. Take in the chiseled nose and the high x-bone monocoque frame. Are they dated or pleasingly familiar? The individual consumer will have to decide, but everything that has ever communicated speed and power in the S2000 is still there. Under the hood there’s the usual 2.2 liter, 16-valve VTEC engine and it still producing a more than pleasing 237 hp in a RWD vehicle that starts at a base price of roughly $34,300 (six-speed manual transmission.) Step up one trim level to the CR and pay $36,300; add AC and Audio and the sticker reads $37,300. Those numbers alone are more than enough to make a would-be sports car owner think twice about the S2000.

The CR or “club racer” trim features a removable hard top, track-ready sport suspension, and additional body cladding. Safety features available include an anti-skid system, traction control, and ABC. In safety crash tests the S2000 earned perfect five-star scores for side-impact and rollover crashes. (For front impact crashes, testers awarded four stars.) However, don’t expect these results to help any when looking for the cheapest car policies. Consumer Guide does point out a lack of over-the-shoulder visibility with the top up and there is no switch to turn off the passenger side front airbag, making the car potentially unsafe for children. But this is still a sports car that can do commuter duty Monday through Friday and live the high life on the weekend. Expect fuel economy of approximately 18 city, 25 highway. (Estimates vary.)

First introduced in 1999 for the 2000 model year, the S2000 has consistently won accolades from reviewers for excellence of handling, weight balance, and impressive performance under the hood. Forbes described the 2008 Honda S2000 as “an exhilarating concoction of race-bred technology and sleek styling.” AutoWeek said, “This S2000 need not worry about its soul getting exorcised. Indeed, there is much left as it heads into its ninth model year, and it is unlocked in the new CR (Club Racer) edition.” Is it disappointing that the company didn’t offer anything new for the S2000’s decade year? Absolutely. Does that mean the S2000 itself is disappointing? Absolutely not.

I went to the LA Auto Show last weekend, and front and center in the Honda area was the good ‘ole s2000. For the 9th year in a row with pretty much the same body style it’s had since it started it was getting lots of attention and looks.

While Honda is already selling, or at least has announced the 2009 updates for most of their vehicles, the fate of the s2000 still remains somewhat in limbo. There have been no end to concepts and renderings floating around the internet (and this site) that look to be the successor to the roadster, but as we near the fourth quarter of the year, it seems unlikely that there will be any big changes for 2009. Will Honda altogether discontinue production in the US for 2009 as sales for the s2000 continue to decline? Will they discontinue just the standard s2000 and market the Club Racer as the only 2009 s2000 model?

The Consumer Guide on Howstuffworks.com suggests that the next incarnation of the roadster may cater less towards purists who enjoy a fast, cramped, noisy and stiff-suspension car, and instead focus more towards the general population. The less expensive and less powerful Mazda MX-5 continues to steadily make money, while the Honda s2000 has always been a financial problem for Honda.

The more practical roadster that the article describes, would be less expensive, with a 200hp engine and a platform that has crossover parts to other cars like the civic (think del sol), making production and final price much more affordable.

It’s said to be inspired by Honda’s very first car, the spartan, tiny but spirited S800 roadster of the early 1960s. It’s also said to be a bit smaller than today’s S2000. Less specialized too, as some underskin components will come from mass-market Honda cars to achieve a lower sticker price. The engine, for example, will be the 2.0-liter four-cylinder from the popular compact Civic, likely the top-tune Si version with around 200 horsepower. Sources say it’s reworked to drive the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission or a Volkswagen-style twin-clutch six-speed sequential manual with automatic shift mode. Suspension reportedly retains twin A-arms in front and a multilink setup in back, but some of the components may be exchanged for off-the-shelf parts. Same for the brakes, four-wheel discs with ABS again, and steering.

Personally, I would be sad to see the roadster go in the direction of competing with the MX-5, instead of taking the opposite approach and going against the Porsche Boxter market and other high end roadsters. The Howstuffworks article should also only be taken with a grain of salt, as they claim the s800 roadster was “Honda’s very first car,” (The Honda s360 was the first car, and the Honda s500 was the first production car) they obviously didn’t do too much research for their article.