Modern Sports
Honda S2000
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Honda S2000 2.0 VTEC
Pearl Indy Yellow with Black Hide.
240 BHP
0-60 mph - 6 seconds flat
150 mph max
Band 5
This car can only be described as razor sharp - from its styling to handling. With a lifetime of experience behind them the people at Honda know a thing or two about performance; wringing every ounce of potential from an engine, without compromising usability.
Honda's motorcycles have been at the cutting edge for generations, producing more and more power from super high revving units, kicking out well in excess of the, supposedly mythical
100 bhp per litre, from normally aspirated engines, for years. The current Fireblade kicks out a ridiculous 170bhp from a 998cc engine that is small enough to fit in an eggcup; nuclear reactors struggle to compete with that.
Before jumping in and pressing the red 'ignite' button, step back and take a couple of minutes to look at the styling - just like all of the poor shmucks who haven't got the keys in their pocket. The shape, with its sharp edged lines, is a mission statement. As with, the sadly discontinued NSX (RIP), the handling is sublime; direct and focussed, yet supple and highly exploitable, even James looks like a hero driving this one - sorry mate!
But it is the engine that truly sets your trousers alight. Around town the S2000 will cruise stealth like (well, as stealth like as a bright yellow roadster can be) and un-fussed, but get it out of town and explore the upper end of the rev range and it's Jeckle and Hyde personality comes to the fore.
The workings of Honda's Variable Valve Timing (VVT), is a complicated thing to comprehend, so we prefer not to bother. Some things in life are better experienced and enjoyed, the magic behind them known only by a select bunch of boffins in white suits, who frankly wouldn't know a good time if it bit them in the ass.
Believe us, what really counts is that as you pass 6,000 revs and head towards the 8,500 rpm limit, your eyes are forced into the back of your head and a grin that needs to be surgically removed spreads from one side of your face to the other - then, you truly understand VVT!
