Honda S2000

The Honda S2000 is a front-mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive roadster built from 1999 to 2009 to mark Honda's 50th anniversary. The name references its 2.0-liter displacement and continues the S500, S600, and S800 sports-car line of the 1960s. A rigid high X-bone frame, 50:50 weight distribution, and double-wishbone suspension defined its balanced, driver-focused character.

Its 2.0-liter F20C DOHC VTEC four revved to a high redline and held the record for the highest specific output of any mass-production naturally aspirated engine, roughly 124 hp per liter, until 2010. Power routed through a 6-speed manual and Torsen limited-slip differential. North American AP2 models from 2003 adopted the larger 2.2-liter F22C1.

Notable versions include the track-oriented Club Racer, the Japanese-market Type S, and the Type V with world-first variable gear-ratio steering. The F20C won International Engine of the Year five years running, and roughly 113,889 cars were built.