It started life as a limited edition 50th birthday present from Honda to itself, and now, a full ten years later, the S2000 has donned its retirement suit for one last, revvy blast before death.
Over the last decade the S2000 has won all kinds of plaudits, winning both journalist and public-voted gongs, and has become something of an icon - not least because of its insane 9,000rpm V-TEC engine. The previous 2.0-litre, 237bhp engine, as it happens, remains one of the highest output-per-litre units available today. Five 'engine of the year' awards say it all, really.
But that power output never told the whole tale; there's still nothing quite like taking an S2000 into the 'V-TEC zone' - that place above about 6,000rpm where all hell breaks loose. Ah, the S2000 will be missed.
Be quick if you want to bag one of these final 'Edition 100' roadsters, which will be limited to - you've guessed it - 100 cars. All of them are distinguished by a very vogue white paintjob (which is supposed to 'evoke memories of Honda's first F1 car from 1964') and dark alloy wheels. They all get red leather interiors, an aluminium-topped shifter stick and individually numbered kick plates, too.
Due to get its debut at the
Geneva show in March, the Edition 100 will set you back exactly £29,086. And because there are only 100, don't think you can get the dealer to shave that odd £86 off either.
Mark Nichol - 2 Feb 2009