GT5 Transcripts/Honda S2000

Honda named its old S series with three digits for the displacement (e.g. 500, 600 and 800), so in April 1999, 28 years after the debut of the S500, the series was resurrected (and given a four-digit name) in the S2000, created in honor of Honda's 50th anniversary.

The S500, released in 1963, embodied a distinct Honda-like philosophy of driving through its engine, suspension and drive system. Honda revived this philosophy for the modern age and tapped it for the new S2000.

The S2000's biggest appeal was the fully custom design, where every part was purpose-built for the S2000, starting with the high-rigidity open monocoque "X-bone frame" chassis.

The F20C-type 2L straight-4 DOHC engine also made headlines for its very high 9000 rpm redline and 247 BHP maximum output despite being naturally aspirated. It also boasted low fuel consumption, logging 8.0l/100km in the 10-15 mode road test. The 6-speed manual transmission was also a custom design, and the development team poured their efforts into a complex secondary reduction gear for it.

In July 2000 the S2000 Type V set-up was added, featuring the VGS system that electronically controls the steering ratio according to speed and turning angle. Aerodynamics and suspension were redone in 2007, giving birth to the Type S with enhanced drivability on winding roads.

In January 2009, Honda sadly announced that S2000 production would end in June. With the S2000 gone, there will no longer be any FR cars or convertibles in Honda's line up. Honda also quit F1 racing about a month before, signaling a temporary withdrawal from motorsports in view of the global economic downturn.