Sometimes automakers seem to leave obvious models and trim levels off of the menu. That’s the case with the legendary S2000 as Honda never made a full-fat Type R version. Now, one company will build you what it imagines that car could’ve been but it might have cut the heart out of this legend in the process.
The S2000 came to the market with a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine that made 240 hp (178 kW) and 153 lb-ft (207 Nm) of torque with an 8,900 RPM redline. That engine literally set and held the record for the most horsepower per liter for a naturally aspirated engine for a decade. And it’s nowhere to be found in this modern interpretation of an S2000 Type R.
Evasive Motorsports, the company behind this car, calls it the S2000R. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet but it admits that the lack of an official Type R version from Honda led to this car. “We sought to modernize the platform and create an R version ourselves,” it says on its website.
More: How Much Would You Spend On This Honda S2000 Driven Just 4,400 Miles?
To accomplish that it modernized a lot of this little car. The exterior design is updated with slight changes to the body and the inclusion of carbon fiber panels. It also gets a 20th-anniversary bumper and Spoon mirrors. Under the skin, it gets a host of changes too.
That includes a beautiful Mugen carbon fiber intake, titanium dual exhausts by Origin Fab, a Koyo Racing radiator, an OS Giken LSD, and suspension upgrades too. KW Clubsport coilovers, upgraded sway bars, and chassis bracing improve the ride and sharpness while Brembo brakes reign this car in when the time calls for it.
All of those supporting mods center around a modern FK8 Civic Type R four-cylinder engine. What makes that a potential issue for some is the fact that there’s a turbocharger on that engine. We’re a huge fan of the additional power on offer, 306 ponies (228 kW) to be exact. But perhaps nothing more than the engine itself defined the greatness of the original Honda S2000.
Does that make this restomod a flop? Or is it potentially the revelation that Honda should’ve built all along? These days there is no shortage of folks begging Subaru and Toyota to turbocharge the BRZ and 86. Perhaps this isn’t a travesty at all. You tell us below.
