Latest news with #HondaS2000
Scottish Sun
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Top 10 convertibles selling for under £10k this summer including iconic Porsche, stylish Mercedes & ‘rare' BMW
One car was made famous by a huge Hollywood movie TOP OFF Top 10 convertibles selling for under £10k this summer including iconic Porsche, stylish Mercedes & 'rare' BMW Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE BEST convertibles selling for under £10,000 have been revealed. The list, compiled by the BBC's hit motoring show Top Gear, includes a stunning Mercedes and one iconic Porsche. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 13 Brits are flocking to dealerships to buy convertibles for the summer Credit: Getty 13 Top Gear have compiled a list of the best convertibles for under £10,000 Credit: Getty Images Experts from the driving show have scoured the internet for the best deals, as Brits flock to dealerships to pick up convertibles this summer. Each price is based on a real-life example of each car that is currently on sale right now. 13 The Lotus Elan SE Turbo is perfect for the summer Credit: Top Gear Lotus Elan SE Turbo The Lotus Elan SE Turbo is a sporty, two-seater first produced in 1989. A second generation of the car hit the road in the mid-1990s and became known for its incredible handling. This incredible car is on sale for just £6,950 on Ebay and comes in a gorgeous red colour. With a manual roof that can be easily retracted, it's perfect for the summer. 13 The German-made Porsche Boxster is a particularly glamorous car Credit: Top Gear Porsche Boxster S (986) The Porsche Boxster S is one of the most iconic cars to be produced by the German manufacturer. Fitted with a glamorous black shell, heated seats and 18 inch alloys, the car is both stylish and sturdy. On sale for £9,999, it is one of the pricier motors on the list but it is also one of the chicest. 13 The Alfa Romeo Spider was made famous by a classic Hollywood movie Credit: Top Gear Alfa Romeo Spider (916) For decades, the Spider was one of Alfa Romeo's flagship cars. Made famous by the 1967 film The Graduate, the Spider has a place in Hollywood history. The model is a two-seater vehicle, which has been described as both 'reliable and stylish'. It's on the market for £7,500 meaning you can take the fancy car home without breaking the bank. 13 The Mercedes-Benz SL500 can reach 155mph Credit: Top Gear Mercedes-Benz SL500 (R129) The Mercedes-Benz SL500 can hit 62mph in just 6.5 seconds and can reach top speeds of 155mph. It is propelled by a 5-0 litre V8 engine and comes fitted with luxurious leather seats. The motor, which is on sale for £9,995, also has climate control - meaning you can enjoy it in the winter and in the summer. 13 The Honda S2000 is one of the cheaper cars on the list Credit: Top Gear Honda S2000 Described by Top Gear as 'punchy, rev-happy and incredibly reliable', the Honda S2000 is a very powerful motor. It is also one of the cheaper vehicles on the list, coming in at just £6000 - making it almost £3000 less than the most expensive car on Top Gear's list. Some models have been fitted with customised parts, including a bigger 2.4 litre K24 unit - which boosts the car's power - and revised drop links. 13 The BMW 318i is designed for taking it easy Credit: Top Gear BMW 318i The BMW 318i is a convertible designed more for cruising than racing. The vehicle has a 1.8L and is quintessentially 1990s, with its iconic shape. It's also one of the rarer cars on the road, with only 50 being produced in a luxurious green. 13 The Jaguar XJS is a huge car Credit: Top Gear Jaguar XJS The Jaguar XJS has a massive 5,300 ccm engine meaning the convertible is one of the biggest on the list. Fitted with cushioned seats and sophisticated wood finishes, it's a car designed for tarvelling in style. Coming in at £9,995, it is one of the more expensive motors but it makes up for its cost through the huge amount of leg room in the front seats. 13 The Mazda MX-5 is one of the most beloved cars on the road Credit: Top Gear Mazda MX-5 (NA) The Mazda MX-5 was designed according to its manufacturer's Jinba Ittai philosophy - the belief that a car should be an extension of its driver. Lightweight, fast and stylish, the MX-5 is one of the most beloved cars on the road. It costs just £8,250 to pick up this piece of motor history when buying secondhand but MX-5s are known to sell quickly so you'll have to hurry before another car lover snaps it up. 13 The TVR Chimaera is a British classic Credit: Top Gear TVR Chimaera The TVR Chimaera is as loud as the mythical beast from which it gets its name. However, it's actually an incredibly gentle ride with a 4.0 litre Rover V8 engine. The motor was produced from 1992 and 2003 and has remained legendary ever since. It costs £8,995 to pick up a second-hand Chimaera. 13 The Chevrolet Corvette is truly a unique car Credit: Top Gear The Chevrolet Corvette This incredible car might look like something from a science-fiction movie, but the 1980s Chevrolet Corvette is a certified classic. Its 5.7 litre engine packs a huge punch and has a detachable roof for when the weather heats up. This motor actually costs £12,250 to buy second-hand but sellers have been known to drop the price for the right offer.
Motor Trend
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
Three For the Road: 2004 Honda S2000 vs. Mazda RX-8 and Nissan 350Z
[Editor's Note: This story first appeared in the March 2004 issue of MotorTrend] There was a time when sport coupes filled this magazine's pages. For example, our July 1995 issue featured a shootout with a Honda Prelude VTEC, Toyota MR2 Turbo, Nissan 300ZX Turbo, Chevrolet Camaro, Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR-4, Pontiac Trans Am, Toyota Supra Turbo, and Mazda RX-7 R2, among others. Where are they now? Within just a few years of that test, all would disappear outright or withdraw from our market. Jump to 2004, and, suddenly, coupes and convertibles are back with a vengeance. Why? Besides a worldwide economic upturn, the cars themselves have come down in absolute and relative price, fuel consumption and performance are better--as are emissions--and, believe it or not, the cars are a whole lot easier to drive and to live with. 0:00 / 0:00 Sure, the Corvette's and Porsche 911's flames burn steadily, but who would've expected a Pontiac GTO, Chrysler Crossfire, the return of the BMW 6 Series, Nissan's Z car, or even the rotary-powered RX-8? The three front-engine rear-drive sports cars we selected for this test implicitly and explicitly promise a rewarding driving experience. Yet each delivers it in a fundamentally different way. The much-revised-for-2004 Honda S2000 is a lightweight, inline-four-cylinder screamer with one foot in the traditionalist drop-top two-seater past and the other in the high-tech high-revving present. Mazda's all-new RX-8 bucks the status quo with a twin-rotor Wankel engine (the first here since the RX-7 departed in the 1995 model year), unique styling, and useful "freestyle" rear half-doors--allowing passengers actually to use those rear seats. Finally, the brisk-selling 2004 Nissan 350Z two-seater appeals to the driver's senses with its edgy looks, muscular V-6, engrossing sound, and quick reflexes, particularly in the Track Model we test here. Which is best for you? Is performance a priority at all costs? Do you need to accommodate more than one passenger? How important is styling on your wish list? We've run our usual battery of instrumented track tests, but to help rank these three, we've dissected each of their abilities to go, stop, and corner with three additional analyses: Motor Trend's Figure-Eight, a step-steer reaction test, and an examination of how and when each makes its horsepower and torque over the entire rev range. The list of revisions and improvements to the Honda S2000 for the 2004 model year is substantial and does much to soften the car's sharp edges--but those edges are still there. The less-frenetic character of the 10-percent-larger engine (to 2.2 liters) is complemented by a kinder, gentler suspension and taller, wider tires. A new brake-pad material takes full advantage of larger tire contact patches and gives better feel. Further, the direct-link gearbox has a wider spread of ratios, and carbon-fiber replaces brass in forward synchronizers for improved shifting action--if that's possible. A limited-slip differential quells nervousness in low-grip or limit-handling maneuvers. The 2004 S2000's stiffer body structure, new, more aggressive appearance, and interior revisions give the car a more grownup demeanor. We love the look and feel of the intimate cockpit and especially enjoy the headrest-mounted speakers and new XM Radio option. This remains a focused, committed sports car. Despite or perhaps because of its newfound "civilization" program and a slight weight gain, the 2004 S2000 produces performance numbers only marginally diminished from what they used to be. Honda figures giving up a small measure of performance for a noticeably less-taxing experience will drive more buyers. What once felt like a club racer with a license plate has been brought only a bit closer to the sweet spot of what most people would consider an acceptable daily driver. However, driving all three of our competitors back to back, the S2000's comfort-be-damned mission continues to shine through. The S2000 still demands a certain buyer with very little luggage who values sport over everyday liveability. You don't so much drive the S2000 as wear it or ride it. It's the kind of car you'd love to find yourself in on California's coastal Highway 1 an hour before sunset with the guarantee of grippy, dry pavement and no highway patrolmen--but how often does that happen? If you currently own a motorcycle and are looking to come out of the cold, this is the perfect car. From the first moment behind the wheel of the Nissan 350Z, we got the distinct feeling it was the heavyweight of this threesome. Although it tips the scale between 196 and 390 pounds more than the other two, it also has about a 50-horsepower advantage, and, more dramatically, over 110 pound-feet more torque. If you consider the power-to-weight ratios, the Z still comes out ahead, as our acceleration times demonstrate. In fact, this is the quickest 350Z we've tested thus far. All this means a driver doesn't need to rev the Z's big 3.5-liter V-6 to 6000-plus rpm to find accelerative enjoyment. The Z is happy at just about any speed in just about any gear. Its bolt-action shifter works extremely well in medium-to-lazy shifts, but, unlike the others', is heavy to operate when hustled. Also, adding to the gravity of the Z, its steering is less responsive and requires more effort. A few staffers began to think of it as a "musclecar of sports cars." Our Track Model tester is differentiated from lesser 350Zs by lightweight forged-aluminum wheels, larger-diameter Brembo brakes, a limited-slip differential, and a sport-tuned (read "harsh") suspension. Again, our instrumented tests prove the hardware works, posting the best stopping and handling figures to date for a 350Z. A supportive sport driver's seat (slightly different from the passenger seat) keeps a firm grip on the pilot's bum, but doesn't feel quite as good as those in the S2000 or RX-8. In terms of around-town ride quality, we'd have to place this Nissan ahead of the go-kart-like Honda, but behind the magical Mazda. We also subtract a few points for the Z's instrumentation and ergonomics, which are less legible and a little less intuitive than either of the others. Finally, the rear cargo bay, though seemingly large, is compromised by an integral strut-tower brace, which limits the size and shape of luggage you can fit on board. A close runner-up to number one, the 350Z Track Model is a heavy-handed, firm-riding musclecar among nimble middleweights. With a comparatively large--and wonderful-sounding--V-6, it's less high-strung and yet only slightly more liveable than the Honda. But, just like Muhammad Ali, this big fella is surprisingly quick on his feet and packs a wallop. If the 350Z Touring Model is just too soft for you, then look into a Track Model. Unconventional thinking has its rewards. You'd be hardpressed to find anything conventional about the Mazda RX-8, and it turns out that's a good thing. Engine, steering, styling, and packaging are all unique. To start with, the miniscule (by comparison) 1.3-liter twin-rotor engine produces an astounding 182 horsepower per liter, outpunching cars like the Porsche 911 and Ferrari Modena in specific output. We only wish it were more fuel-efficient at that size, as it earns the poorest (but only slightly) EPA mileage numbers here. What the engine does, however, is rev and produce power like an electric motor. So smooth and linear is the power delivery that Mazda installed a shift tone to remind the driver the engine is approaching the 9000-rpm rev limiter. With such even torque delivery and so linear a horsepower curve, it's easy to imagine limitless engine revs. This is where the RX-8 and the similarly revvy S2000 differ. Even at 8500 rpm, there's nothing to indicate the RX-8's engine is strained or that power will ever cease, except for that reminder tone. Power is routed through a tight, close-ratio six-speed transmission and a carbon-fiber composite driveshaft from the front-mid engine to the rear torque-sensing limited-slip differential. The engine, transmission, driveshaft, and rear end are all precisely located in a straight line to eliminate driveline vibration and noise. The 50/50 weight distribution shines in transient maneuvers like our slalom test. Further enhancing this well-connected feel, Mazda developed a new rack-drive electric power-steering unit. Unlike other electric steering aids, the RX-8's electric-assist motor is located within the steering rack itself and is neither artificially light-feeling nor laboriously notchy. One might assume that the gaping hole formed by the pillarless double-door opening in each side of the RX-8 would translate into a wobbly chassis. Mazda has spent considerable time and effort to avoid this problem, using construction techniques including a rigid backbone frame, in-door high-strength steel pillars, and an innovative V-shaped brace extending from the rear end to the rear shock towers. There's also a full complement of front-, front/side-, and head-curtain airbags to ensure crashworthiness. Further, the Mazda rides quietly and happily in traffic and at the limit. Conclusion The RX-8 technically isn't the quickest car here, nor is it the best-handling or stopping. But it is competitive in every performance test without the compromises the outright 'numbers-winning' setups so often produce— and our tester wasn't even the sportsuspension- equipped version. What it is, however, is the least-expensive, most-accommodating, best all-around solution to having your uniquely styled sport coupe and room for four adults. We think it offers the best of both worlds with the fewest penalties. In some regards, the RX-8 is a small exoticar with marvelous engineering innovations. In other ways, it has the amenities and comfort of an everyday driver with the safety and warranty expected from a modern car-all while exhibiting a light, athletic feel and a strong value message. The RX-8 might be the unconventional choice here, but fresh thinking and unusual solutions to the fickle sport-coupe market just may keep its current entries around longer than its predecessor. And we have yet to see the hot-rodded MazdaSpeed supercharged RX-8. Motivation Honda's revised, longer-stroke VTEC four displaces 2.2 liters (+0.2 liter) and has more accessible (at lower revs) torque and horsepower compared with last year's 2.0-liter inline-four. This tames what once was an exercise in patience (at low rpm) and faith that the engine wouldn't grenade (at its 8200-rpm redline). The same maximum 240 horsepower now occurs at a lower 7700 rpm (+0 at -500 rpm) and the flatter torque curve reaches it max at 162 pound-feet at 6500 rpm (+8 at -1000 rpm). There's still a slight hit of power at 3500 and 5500 rpm when the VTEC system kicks in. Among naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines, this is about as good as it gets. But not everyone is accustomed to revving a small, high-compression engine to get all the performance out of it. Mazda's rotary returns to our market after a six-year absence. The most notable change between previous rotaries and the 1.3-liter Renesis 13B is that engineers moved the exhaust ports to the end plates from the rotor housing. This strategy eliminated the previous engine's intake/exhaust overlap, which allowed spent gases to mix with the intake charge, causing poor emissions and fuel economy out of step with the relatively small displacement. That's all changed now. What's left is the engine's ability to make a bunch of power from a small and light package. It happily spins like an electric power tool up to 9000 rpm. In many ways, it behaves like an electric motor: near-constant level of torque and a linear delivery of horsepower. Nissan's award-winning VQ engine series just keeps getting better with each passing year and application. The 350Z's version makes more torque just above idle than the Honda or Mazda make at their peaks. Part of that comes from the fact that it displaces 1.3 and 2.2 liters more than the others and that it's a V-6 instead of a rotary or an inline engine. What the driver feels is a stern shove rather than a gradual increase of power--up to about 5000 rpm where the torque begins to fade. In contrast, the Honda and Mazda are just reaching their potentials at the same engine speed. In many ways, the 350Z engine behaves like a V-8 with a prodigious low end and a gradually fading high end. If the gearing is well-spaced as it is in the Z, the driver will intuitively feel the right time to shift without needing to look at the tachometer or being reminded to shift with an audible tone. 2004 Honda S2000 Pros Exceptional grip and quick reflexes Markedly better mannered than previous model Classic body will look great in 25 years Cons Buckboard ride on anything but smooth asphalt Noise intrusion from wind, road, and engine Seems a bit pricey for a weekend two-seater Don't Miss: Subtle new sheetmetal and interior upgrades Bottom Line: A reliably built weekend mountain-road carver for those who like an edgy drive 2004 Nissan 350Z Track Model Pros Superb, torquey powertrain Fab handling despite hefty curb weight Quickest Z we've tested What's Not Cons Harsh ride penalty for Track Model setup Compromised cargo capacity Some ergonomic and interior nit-picks Don't Miss: The group's only stability-control system and electronic brake-force distribution Bottom Line: In the world of four- or six-cylinder (or rotary) sports cars, this is a musclecar 2004 Mazda RX-8 Pros Exceptionally well-balanced and behaved Engine acts like an electric motor Good all-around performance for under $30K Cons So-so fuel economy Some don't care for the exterior styling MazdaSpeed version a year or so away Don't Miss: Rear-hinged doors turn this coupe into a four-place sport "sedan" Bottom Line: An ingenious solution to many of the compromises inherent in the sports-car genre
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Honda S2000 Auctions For Over $95,000
Read the full story on Backfire News If you have a clean Honda S2000 in your possession or know someone who does, now might be the time to sell. Yet another one went for big bucks, this time auctioning at Amelia Island for a whopping $95,200. That's enough to get anyone with one of these cars plotting. However, there are some special conditions around the little Honda that helped boost its value to that lofty starters, the original owner showed incredible restraint and foresight, logging a mere 42 miles on the odometer. In other words, in the last quarter century (the age of the S2000) the owner pretty much kept it garaged and clean, but didn't spend time behind the wheel. This conflicts with a principle we and many other enthusiasts share, that cars were made to be driven, not parked in a preservation bubble and admired like some sort of metal sculpture. Sure, they're things of beauty, and Honda knocked it out of the park on the S2000's aesthetics, but driving one is a real treat. Many are claiming this is the most factory fresh Honda S2000 to ever be brought to market. While the Silverstone Metallic paint and black leather upholstery look flawless, as Broad Arrow Auctions notes in the lot listing, it's far from the record of the highest-valued in existence. Almost $100,000 is a large chunk of cash, but a 2009 Honda S2000 CR with 123 miles sold for over twice that amount, $205,000, on Bring A Trailer back in April 2022. In February 2022 another S2000 CR, a 2008 example with 5,500 miles sold for $127,500. Yes, 2022 was a great year for Honda S2000s and collector cars in general. In other words, we might not see a new record for a while as the whole collector car market has deflated some from those crazy times. Still, $95,200 is nothing to sneeze at, showing the Honda S2000 is definitely a serious collector car. Image via Broad Arrow Auctions
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
I've Driven My 2015 Fiat 500e More Than 1,000 Miles, And I'm Not Selling, But It Sure Does Have Its Flaws
If you aren't aware, I recently bought a 2015 Fiat 500e. I can't afford the cool stuff I really want like a 996 Turbo or a decent Honda S2000, but I also prefer motorcycles for having fun anyway and can get a press car if I really want to go on a road trip, so I decided to go one of the least-expensive electric cars that you can buy. Plus, while I've previously happily owned a first-gen 500e in Los Angeles, the area where I currently live is far more rural than Koreatown, so part of me wanted to see just how bad it could really be. A little more than 1,000 miles later, I don't know if I have a true answer, but I've definitely learned a lot about owning an EV. Now, you don't buy a decade-old compliance EV that started life as a European city car expecting to take it on any road trips, and I knew that going in. What's really holding me back isn't the range or availability of chargers, though — it's the slow charging speeds. I probably wouldn't mind stopping every hour or so to stretch my legs and pee, at least not that much, if the 500e charged fast enough that I could get another hour's worth of highway driving out of a charge while I was doing that. On a Level 2 charger that would take several hours in the Fiat, and I don't have that kind of patience. The good news is, almost any used EV you find these days will charge far faster than the 6.6 kW charging rate I'm stuck with. Turns out technology isn't stagnant, and one early example might not mean all EVs did or still do come with the same limitations. You'd think that would be obvious, but I got a couple of comments on my first post acting like this is some kind of gotcha. Yeah, I knew I was buying an early EV with an old battery and outdated charging tech when I bought it. This is supposed to be a torture test of sorts. Read more: Porsche Taycan Turbos Have Lost Up To $100,000 Value In 4 Years That said, charging it on a 120V wall outlet at home remains the thing to do. If you drive enough that you really need a Level 2 charger, it's possible you'll get some benefit out of it, but I suspect the vast majority of owners would get plenty of range charging overnight. And while apartment charging can still be an issue, apartments are also much less common in rural areas. If you live in the Bay Area, look away now, but I'm about to go look at a house later this week that rents for less than $1,500 a month. Not an apartment. A house. I didn't specifically want a house, but I have a short-range EV that charges slowly and work remotely. Even though the grocery store has fast chargers, I actually need to charge where I live. If you own an older apartment building, I can understand not necessarily having new chargers installed. Newer, nicer buildings can get away with charging higher rent, and you can't. What really blew my mind was the brand-spanking new apartment complex I called, which I want to emphasize was completed in 2025, told me they didn't have any electric chargers. Who thought that was a good idea? So in a way the 500e has made my housing search more difficult, but again, that's specifically because of its short range and incredibly slow charging speed. If you can't charge at home or work, you probably shouldn't buy a first-gen 500e, although you could probably get away with it if you had a street charger a short walk away. Sadly, short walks don't exist in rural areas. What I do get in this rural area, however, is the opportunity to spend 30 minutes on a mostly 65-mph road driving to my girlfriend's house. That isn't horrible by rural standards, but it does mean that if I drive over there and we go somewhere else, I have to charge at her house or hope there's a public charger where we're going because the miles add up quickly. It also doesn't help that this battery appears to be affected by cold weather much more than newer batteries that haven't already been charged 1,000 times. At one point, it got so cold that I was maybe working with a 50-mile effective range, which isn't ideal when the drive I make most frequently is 40 miles roundtrip. And yet, I can also only think of one time the range anxiety actually got to me. I'd driven to my girlfriend's house and arrived with about a 70-percent charge. When we left to pick up food, I don't know what it was, but the anxiety got to me. The temperature outside was also dropping, and I really didn't know if we'd make it back. A dead EV on the side of the road is a little more complicated to get moving again than a gas car, and I had someone else with me, so I panicked and turned around so we could take her car. The next day, even though I had less charge than I'd started with the night before, I drove past the restaurant, and I would have been fine. I would have needed to charge at her house to get home, but the one time the range anxiety got to me, it was a false alarm. That doesn't mean it isn't real, especially in a car where the cold-weather range can be so unpredictable, but it's also taken a while to get used to the car and how far I can actually push it. Since I live in Georgia, the weather has already been warming up, and it's currently about 65 degrees outside. And yep, the range is definitely better when it isn't below freezing outside. I still can't drive for 100 miles down the highway or anything like that, and highway driving still saps range faster than roads with lower speed limits, but it's also cut down on how frequently I feel the need to charge and how comfortable I am leaving it at, say, 50 or 70 percent when I get home. If I didn't have to drive so obnoxiously, unnecessarily far to get to every gat-dang doctor's appointment and restaurant, this car would be fantastic. Then again, I also wouldn't be able to rent a house for less than $1,500, so there are tradeoffs, you know? While it may be annoying — even though I did this to myself intentionally — having to deal with the shortcomings of a decade-old short-range EV that can't fast-charge, a big part of the reason I bought this car was to ensure I had something I could use to get around without having to worry about head gaskets, valve cover gaskets, starters, alternators, engine oil, transmission fluid, or any of the other headaches my 2008 Subaru Forester gave me. Sure, the battery could always die on me, but I'm hedging my bets here on the general lack of maintenance, plus the part where the car still reports getting at least 140 MPGe even during highway driving. It's cheap to insure, cheap to refuel, and should be cheap to operate. Even my tires should be cheap to replace since I'm rocking adorable little 15s. Plus, it costs less than $2 for a full charge at home. So what am I going to use the money I've saved on gas to buy? Hopefully something that makes it easier to stream music via Bluetooth. I foolishly assumed that pairing my phone with the car would let me do that, but no. Either I'm missing something that's going to make me feel like an idiot when one of you points it out to me, or I need to buy an app. If it's the latter, I'm thinking one of those home speakers I can suction cup to the dash or windshield might be the way to go. That way, if a sweet EV lease deal comes along that's too tempting to pass up, I can just use the speaker for something else. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Viper Power: Widebody Honda S2000 Gets A Real Engine
Read the full story on Backfire News Normally, a Honda S2000 is pretty cute little toy for the wife to drive around, but they're not a serious threat on the track. However, this one with a Dodge Viper V10 crammed under the hood is something else entirely. This is the roadster Honda not only was afraid to build, but couldn't pull it off had it wanted by a 2006 Dodge Viper, the V10 engine is rated at 510-horsepower and 535 lb.-ft. of torque, well beyond the little four-banger Honda used. With that big power boost, plus a number of other modifications like the flared out fenders, this little car can really move. One would think dropping a big, heavy engine like a Viper's V10 into the S2000, a car known for being incredibly well balanced would make it handle like garbage. But the owner says that's not even close to true. According to him, the front-to-rear weight distribution is 47-to-53. In other words, it's not quite perfect but still good enough to handle quite well. What's hilarious about this build is the owner bought it from someone who already had the engine in the car. He became aware of it after seeing people on an S2000 forum mocking the unfinished project. Instead of laughing at the ridiculousness of such a thing, he saw potential and ran with it. However, he says he had to rip everything out and start over, including fabricating a number of parts. It's not like there are online guides for doing a Viper V10 engine swap into a Honda S2000. He also added Penske adjustable shocks and installed a close-ratio steering rack out of Mustang, not the mention a rear differential from a Ford Expedition. The body is made up of different aftermarket parts modified to fit, if not fabricated by the owner himself. He is a true trailblazer with this build, that's for sure. Watch the video to see and hear just how much a fire breather this heavily modified Honda S2000 is. Images via Autotopia LA/YouTube
