The S2000 turned out to be another of Honda's unexpected, windfall success stories. When Honda engineers designed the Civic and Integra, high performance and broad popularity were not high on the list of expectations. But those platforms practically launched the import tuning industry in the 90s. Like the Civic and Integra, the S2000 was designed with managed expectations. Originally scheduled for a limited run, the S2000 was released in 1999 to celebrate Honda Corporation's 50th anniversary. But after witnessing the overwhelming popularity of the car, the S2000 enjoyed a 10-year life cycle and two generations of production.

This long production cycle has made second-hand S2000's affordable and readily available in many used-car markets making it a popular tuner platform. From the factory, Honda cut no corners. A rigid chassis, well thought-out suspension design, high-output powerplant, timeless aerodynamics and near perfect weight balance made the roadster an ideal track car. With some weight loss, suspension and aerodynamic enhancements, S2000's have gone on to deliver impressive lap times.

Prepped To Play

Mike Kenney saw the potential in the Honda roadster while observing the Honda Challenge Racing Series. The build goal was originally just to be able to run at local autocross and track events. But as Mike delved deeper into the project, another dimension to the S2000 was uncovered.

Tuning started in the wheel wells. KW Suspension Variant 3 coil-over suspension suspended the weight of the AP2, adding adjustable ride height and dampening to all four corners. A CT Engineering front sway bar was added to reduce the characteristic "snap" oversteer associated with the S2000. The wells were then filled with a set of 18x10-inch Rota DPT wheels wrapped with 275/35R18 Toyo Proxes R888 tires. To get these gumballs to bite into the track consistently through each hot lap, Wilwood six-piston brake calipers replaced the factory single-piston sliding caliper inside each front wheel. The added piston surface area combined with the larger 12.88-inch Wilwood two-piece rotors improve braking performance. Brake fade associated with overheated rotors and pads is no longer an issue. Stainless-braided lines further improve the feel and response of the braking system.

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