Take a ride down memory lane in Honda’s S2000 roadster

For years, Honda fans and dealerships alike have called for the return of a convertible roadster based halo car to the maker’s North American lineup. When we look to the goodness that was the final iteration of Honda’s only rear wheel drive , high output, 6-speed manually shifted rag top, there’s little question as to a viable niche in American Honda’s reinvented lineup for a quality built, perfectly balanced Mazda Miata killer. We check out Honda’s S660 Roadster in Tokyo

10,000 units sold per year worldwide

Convertible 2-seat wonders occupy a rarefied car segment in the U.S., they always have. And yet, there’s no other experience in driving today that out rivals a road trip in the seat of a well designed rag top -- a re connection to the humble beginnings of in-your-face, weather be damned, open roadster car travel. Honda’s S2000 debuted to the automotive press at the Tokyo Show in 1995. It would be 4 model years before Honda’s one and only rear live axle, perfectly weight balanced 50/50, high output normally aspirated 4-cylinder i-VTEC 2 place, would roll off the assembly line. Import to the U.S. would shortly follow in June 2000. We discover the bad-ass H.P.D. S3000 project car.

The Honda S2000 model year to buy

While all years proved to be relatively trouble free, 2002 brought several upgrades including suspension tuning and an integrated glass rear window, formally plastic. Me, I like to begin with the latest model year offered in the U.S. and work my way back.One discovers that a low mileage S2000 in good condition, regardless of model year, can demand high dollars. Check out the history of Honda S2000 here.

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