New York Auto Show: Honda's hardcore S2000 is a fitting send off
Click the image for oodles of high res, destop sized pics.
Honda decided to make our roving band of blogger's lives easier by not holding a press conference and instead just plopping the Club Racer version of the S2000 onto a stand for all to see.
The "track-worthy" variant of the S2K gets enough structural and body mods to make any time-attack junky weep, beginning with a quicker steering rack, stiffer springs and dampers and larger sway bars. Newly designed wider rear rollers gets shod in the finest Bridgestone Potenza RE070s and the new aero bits, comprised of a redesigned front clip, side skirts, rear bumper and spoiler, have been wind tested and racer approved.
In an effort to drop the pounds and low the center or gravity, Honda decided to nix the folding roof altogether and instead, replaced it with an aluminum hard top. The former home of the soft top gets remodeled with plenty of bracing to increase the S2K's chassis rigidity.
Sales of the S2000 CR will begin this fall and no production numbers were mentioned.
You can view all the debuts and galleries from the New York Auto Show here.
Check the gallery below and the press release below the fold.
Gallery: Honda S2000 Club Racer
PRESS RELEASE
04/04/2007 - NEW YORK -
The club racer-inspired 2008 Honda S2000 CR Prototype making its world debut at the New York International Auto Show introduces a higher level of track-worthy performance and style to the S2000 roadster, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today.
The S2000 CR will be available as an entirely new S2000 trim level when it goes on sale in the fall of 2007. The lighter, stiffer and more aggressive overall design is engineered to maximize the S2000's potential on a racetrack with the goal of substantially-improving track times, chassis balance and feel. The factory-tuned roadster provides highly-aggressive suspension settings, increased body and chassis rigidity, overall weight reduction and an aerodynamic body kit dialed-in for reduced lift. An aluminum hardtop replaces the convertible soft top as standard equipment.
"The S2000 CR is the closest thing you can get to a Honda-built racecar with license plate holders and a horn," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Its features and equipment are designed to appeal to weekend club racing enthusiasts."
The full-body aerodynamic package reduces lift through large and highly-tuned front and rear spoilers. Exclusive chassis features include a quicker steering ratio, Bridgestone Potenza RE070 tires, a wider rear tire size, firmer springs and dampers, larger stabilizer bars and a new wheel design in a dark gray color.
Substantial structural bracing has been added to the storage area previously occupied by the soft top, resulting in additional rigidity. The aluminum hard top replaces the soft top of the conventional S2000, resulting in an overall weight savings of approximately 90 pounds when removed (relative to the current S2000).
The exclusive interior is highlighted by unique cloth seating surfaces with yellow stitching, a unique spherical aluminum shifter and carbon fiber-style trim panels. Air conditioning and an AM/FM Stereo with CD player are optional equipment. Standard features for the S2000 include 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, ABS and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA). While VSA serves to effectively enhance driver control during acceleration, braking, and cornering, the system can be disabled with the touch of a button when conditions warrant it.
Widely considered the quintessential roadster-style sports car, the S2000 is the performance icon for the Honda brand and combines uncompromising racetrack-ready performance with everyday usability. The S2000 rewards driving enthusiasts with a potent 2.2-liter, 16-valve DOHC VTEC® 4-cylinder engine and a precise, short throw 6-speed manual transmission, along with tenacious handling and a perfect 50/50 weight balance.
The renowned high-revving engine delivers 237 horsepower at 7,800 rpm and 162 lb-ft. of torque at 6,800 rpm. Perfectly complimenting the engine's output characteristics is a compact, longitudinally-mounted, close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission that features a direct linkage for precise shifting and quick throws. Combined with a front and rear double wishbone suspension, precise electric power steering, and a torque-sensing limited slip differential, the end result is a complete, no compromise, performance package for the enthusiast driver.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
bgdc 1:11PM (4/04/2007)
Uh, nice orange county wing. lol
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jj 1:12PM (4/04/2007)
want want want
want want want
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Mon 7:40PM (4/04/2007)
Very dissapointing, but at least my 2006 S2000 won't depreciate too much. I was expected much more, but the changes are nothing that a guy w/ some welding tools could have done.
I was expecting:
F-22 w/ 9,000rpm cutoff
Alumnium doors, boot lid, and front fenders.
Flat bottomed steering wheel
Carbon bonnet
Upgraded Brembo 4-pot calipers.
But I did predict the optional A/C and radio as well as the tweeked suspension.
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Corey 1:32PM (4/04/2007)
Love the go-bits, but still can't outrun ugly w/those aero mods.
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Drew 3:16PM (4/04/2007)
The tires aren't anywhere close to race compounds. Those are the Bridgestone RE070 which also come stock on the STI from the best of my memory. The stock Bridgestone RE050A tires on the regular S2000 are about the same grip level. Try some Toyo RA1 or Hoosiers if you want a "near race compound."
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Bob-o 2:14PM (4/04/2007)
Or not. The RE070's were the OEM compound on the WRX STi. They have a treadwear of 140, just like the OEM compound on the S2000 (the RE050). The only difference really is the outside shoulder has a little less tread void.
The real improvement is the aerodynamics, but I won't disagree that its mostly hideous. Particularly on faster tracks, the S2000 does have lots to gain from aerodynamic aids.
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Riceboy 2:25PM (4/04/2007)
Absolutely terrible design. This is an embarassment to AHM design. The only benefit we can hope for is a couple of OEM parts available for the rest of that have the regular model.
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Dan Bach 3:37PM (4/04/2007)
I would make fun of all those go fast bits if they didn't do anything in terms of performance, but if they say that it is tuned then hell... I'm in.
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Bryan 2:30PM (4/04/2007)
They still make this bland uninspiring pos?
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David 2:34PM (4/04/2007)
The S2000 is a great car. This Club Racer one is ugly as hell though.
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TheSwener 2:36PM (4/04/2007)
I agree.
want want want
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Matt Dell 3:27PM (4/04/2007)
"A fitting send off"?
Did I miss a memo somewhere that 2008 is the last year for the S2000?
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Damon Lavrinc 3:32PM (4/04/2007)
No, Matt, you didn't miss a memo. Production of the S2000 will run into next year, but this will be the last update/change to the current S2K. Expect a new model or at least something to fill the hole by 2009.
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naggs 4:53PM (4/04/2007)
ugly body kit and wing. so the real 'feature' is the lack of the convertable top? how much more do i have to pay honda for that?
should have been a no cost option from day one. it certaintly doesnt cost honda any more to not put the folding soft top on the car, why should it cost the customer more?
this is even worse than the special edition mustangs that are overpriced option packages for mustang gts.
pretty weak if you ask me
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SherbornSean 5:14PM (4/04/2007)
The one weakness of the S2000 was the choice of colors. I like this blue, but Honda can keep the "aero" crap.
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doglet 5:40PM (4/04/2007)
a car can be more than the sum of its parts but the price shouldn't. this car is more in terms of performance, certainly less in styling, but the price increase that comes with limited editions will make it a bad buy.
sure would have been nice if they just made a coupe version, that would have weighed less, cost less, been more usefull, more simple, quiter, stiffer, faster, safer, looked better...
that would have been a fitting send off for the s2000
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rv 4:39PM (4/05/2007)
Why the McDonalds of automobiles is still trying to make sporty cars I'll never understand. Yawnda can't and will never be able to do sporty. Until they stop slapping an "S" on a Civic and trying to call the ubiquitous hoopty econocar of the Mexican-Americans a sports car, they'll always be rice. Great, the S2000 is fast; but it looks like a mass-produced econocar from a mass producer of econocars, has no torque, and you have to sound like a little boy-racer to get any HP out of the thing. Sorry, that thing is the whiniest ricer on the road, I'd be embarrassed to be whining around in that thing unless I was still in high school. Oh wait, Yawndas were whiny little chick cars in high school too - nevermind. Thank you for ruining the reputation of Japanese cars by continuously putting out whiny little ricers. Trust me, I love Mexican food, have no problems with non-citizen immigrants in California, but please, come to the U.S.; drive some real cars.
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Otto Ingineer 6:22PM (4/04/2007)
The blue doesn't do it for me, but it certainly looks better (ugly wing and all) with the hardtop attached. Impressed that the seats are cloth, too - no sticky leather here. Should have been done from the get-go like this...With a coupe (non-convertible) option also (as in Cayman).
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Pouya 3:12AM (4/05/2007)
The S2000's exterior is now not only outdated, but ricey from the factory.
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chris 1:45AM (4/05/2007)
i love my 01 s2000 and all s2000 as a matter of fact, but i'll pass on loving this.
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