Always exhilarating, never refreshing

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Nuts and bolts

Under the Honda S2000’s long, low, lovely hood resides a jewel of a motor, an engineering marvel making more than 100 horsepower per liter of displacement. Running on premium unleaded fuel, this 2.2-liter, dual overhead cam, 16-valve engine is equipped with Honda’s Variable Valve-Timing with Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) to maximize power and efficiency at both high and low engine speeds by varying the flow of fuel and air into the cylinders. Its 240 horsepower at 7,800 rpm and 162 lb.-ft. of torque at 6,500 rpm is charged with motivating just 2,835 pounds, giving the S2000 an impressive power-to-weight ratio of 5.4 to 1.

There is no automatic transmission for the S2000, at any price. Rather, a close-ratio, short-throw, six-speed manual transmission with a torque-sensing rear differential delivers power to the Honda S2000’s back wheels. Electric drive-by-wire rack-and-pinion steering guides the front tires, wrapped around lightweight alloy wheels measuring 17 inches in diameter at each corner. The front rims are seven inches wide while the rears are 8.5 inches thick, wearing Bridgestone Potenza RE 050 tires sized 215/45 up front and 245/40 in back.

Four-wheel-disc, antilock brakes include ventilated front rotors measuring 11.8 inches and solid rear 11.1-inch rotors. The Honda S2000 rides on a double wishbone suspension with front and rear stabilizer bars and coil springs all around. And with a near perfect 49/51 front-to-rear weight distribution, the S2000 is clearly designed for performance and handling.