I'm glad I'm not the only person who finds this car completely ridiculous. The first time I saw it, I was convinced that it was a one-off testbed for Jackson Racing or something... It just doesn't seem like something Honda would do. Then I looked at it, and then I realized that it pretty much is an extension of the 'HPV' (Honda Performance Vehicles) line onto the S2000. Great.
If there was any reason why the S2000 was a success, it was because it did without all of this silly crap. It was in essence a true sports car with an engine, a transmission, two seats, a convertible top, and a giant red push-button start. Sure, there were some creature-comforts like power windows and locks, but who really needed them? They managed to do everything that Mazda did with the MX-5, and yet made it better in their own little way that just seemed to be perfect...
...And then they kill it. And it isn't a slow kill like it was with the NSX, or hell, even some Civics that I know of, this was basically taking the S2000 out behind the shed, kicking and screaming, and letting the .45 off into the ECU. Its dead, and it isn't coming back...
Its sad really that Honda can't replicate the car into the next generation. I mean, this is the home of the CBR, a marginally 'successful' F1 team, a former SCCA-dominator with the Integra, etc... And yet here they are, refusing to build what people want.
Okay, okay, the S2000 wasn't necessarily a money-maker, but you could blame that on the marketing and the pricing. The car was really only pushed for the first few years, and as the competition changed and in many cases got better, Honda changed only marginally, and still seemed to price the car rather high. At least in my opinion, there should have been a greater variety of S2000 models in the woodwork. Maybe one with a lower-spec I4 from the Civic Si good for 180-200 BHP? It would have done better with the Miata crowd, especially when they aren't paying $35,000 for one...
In my world of high-performance cars, the S2000 will be missed, but cars have already replaced it. The Saturn Sky Red-Line comes to mind, and so too does the MX-5 in general.
...So, we'll see I guess. Heres to hoping Honda does the right thing, eventually...
You can't operate a company that is known solely for good reliability. The lack of the S2000 does not make Honda a bad company by any means, but I would not want to buy one simply because they have a bulletproof engine and nothing else. Hondas are now cars, and nothing more. Cars for the "Why do you need a sports car? You don't need anything fancy to get from point A to B." Accords generally miss the trip from A to B. They care about the two points and not what's in between.
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Toyota is by no means a maker of exciting automobiles, but there's something to be said about a manufacturer that encroaches on the #1 spot in total production numbers, and consistently turns out a solid profit year after year. Boringly reliably cars appeal to the majority of people, and that majority simply don't view cars the way people on this forum do.
It's not that bad for a Japanese car from 1999....
