TAS 2020: Honda S2000 20th Anniversary Prototype

TAS 2020: Honda S2000 20th Anniversary Prototype

At the Honda Access (a.k.a. Modulo) 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon booth was nostalgia. That was because two of the brand’s most loved models were at the stand, looking factory fresh.

We’re talking about the Honda S2000 roadster and the EK9 Civic Type R. Rose tinted glasses perhaps, but both look like they will succeed in showrooms today. OK, maybe not. But can, right?

Anyway, the S2000 20th Anniversary Prototype, as it’s called, is a beautiful lightly altered AP1 S2000 from the end of the last millennium, the end of the 1990s, which was the golden era of Japanese sports cars. Under the hood is the F20C 2.0 litre VTEC four-cylinder engine, which is famous for revving till 9,000 rpm in stock form.

TAS 2020: Honda S2000 20th Anniversary Prototype

Also famous was the NA engine’s specific output, which was the highest ever seen in a normally aspirated production car engine. It was 240 PS for the rest of the world, but this JDM car had 250 PS and 218 Nm of torque. Mated to the VTEC screamer is a six-speed manual gearbox. We tried the shifter for a bit yesterday and it was so sweet.

Without a stock AP1 alongside it, the 20th Anniversary looks standard, that’s how clean the design is. There’s actually a more protruding bumper with a more prominent mouth and some sculpture on the sides. This is supposed to improve aerodynamics, but it looks nice and clean – more aggressive than stock but not too much.

No wild bodykit for the Grand Prix White roadster, which wears original side skirts and a ducktail spoiler in gloss black. Black is also on the window outlines, wing mirror caps and multi-spoke 17-inch Advan RZ2 wheels.

The gorgeous restomod also sports a pair of red bucket seats, revised suspension and a new lid for the head unit with cassette player (remember those things?). The normal lid has the S2000 logo, but a 20th anniversary emblem is added here. That special silhouette also appears on the wind deflector.

The S2000 went on as the AP2 “facelift” with an available 2.2 litre engine (242 PS, 221 Nm) in 2004. Production ended in 2009 and Honda would not have another roadster in its range until the S660 kei car debut in 2015. There have been been rumours of a S2000 revival, but nothing came out of those.

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • damn nice no nonsense. not a fan of honda, but this is just damn nice

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