By Cam Tait \/ Monday, 23 October 2023 \/ Loading comments<\/p>\n
Why Honda never made an S2000 Type R is one of those great unknowns. Like all automotive debates, everybody\u2019s got an opinion. Some say it\u2019s because the S2000 was a sports car and, therefore, already \u2018Type R-ified\u2019 (though the NSX-R might have something to say about that), while others are convinced that dwindling sales put paid to the idea of a hotter version dressed in Championship White with red Recaro seats.<\/p>\n
But even that argument doesn\u2019t stand up to much scrutiny. A track-focused S2000 CR (for Club Racer) was released for the US market in 2008, packing racier aero, a faster steering rack, sportier exhaust and various weight-saving measures that knocked off 41kg from the 1,295kg kerbweight. It was rebadged the Type-S in Japan, albeit with a more road-oriented suspension set-up and a folding fabric roof as opposed to the CR\u2019s fixed top. Annoyingly, we never got either of them in Europe and – judging by what reviewers had to say at the time – the CR and Type S were as good as it got for the S2000. Blast.<\/p>\n
We did, however, get something that at least looked like a Type R, and, with only 100 ever produced, it’s comfortably the rarest S2000 ever made (short of the nutty creations from Mugen and Spoon). Arriving right at the end of the model\u2019s lifespan in 2009, the GT Edition 100 launched to see out S2000 production in style with a raft of exclusive cosmetic changes; the significant ones being red leather seats, red carpets and Grand Prix white exterior finish. Not the Championship White and red Alcantara seats that mark out a proper Type R, but it\u2019s the closest thing we\u2019ve got to something resembling an R version of Honda\u2019s cult classic. It did however get an aluminium ball gear knob just like the Civic Type Rs of the era, while the dark grey alloy wheels match those of the CR and Type S. <\/p>\n
The chassis was left unaltered on the Edition 100, but that\u2019s only because Honda had put a fair amount of time into improving the handling and ride for the GT facelift that the not-a-Type R is based on. Namely, the thicker anti-roll bars, stiffer springs and damper set-up of the JDM-only Type S, which dialled out the polarising twitchiness of early models.<\/p>\n
Sounds like the recipe of the Type R, doesn\u2019t it? The only thing that\u2019s really missing then is a step up in power. Despite all the revisions, the power output from the S2000\u2019s 2.0-litre VTEC motor remained fixed at 240hp. A torque figure of just 153lb ft is often cited by naysayers, especially as you needed to get right up into the upper echelons of the rev counter to unlock it, but the whole charm of a Honda VTEC is that it\u2019s built to be ragged. Still, the previous owner of this car has fitted a K&N filter and stainless steel exhaust, presumably with something like the full Type R effect in mind. Not a fan? The originals come bundled in with the sale so you can switch it back to stock. Perfect.<\/p>\n
S2000s have retained their values well, especially special edition models just like this. An Edition 100 would set you back a smidgen over \u00a329,000 back in 2009. Step forward 14 years and 16,000 miles later and that number creeps up to \u00a331,950. Yes, it\u2019s not far off \u00a310k more than a low-mile facelift example, but other Edition 100s have sold for more in recent years. And while it may not have the street cred of the CR or Type S, it should feel every bit as good to drive as them. Without shouting about it too much. <\/p>\n