Neuspeed Honda S2000

I love the S2000. It is arguably the best roadster I have ever driven. Period. The Porsche Boxster is a fine sports car too, but you can rev the S2000 to 9000 rpm and then smile as it stretches its legs, begging for the twisties.

Yes, the new Mercedes SLK 320 is elegant, but the nimble S2000 weighs several hundred pounds less soaking wet and makes gobs more power in stock trim and is considerably cheaper. To me, the S2000 is a classic in the making, akin to superstars like the Lotus Elise in its execution of handling, performance and affordability.

When the opportunity came to test drive a Neuspeed-modified S2000, I leaped at the opportunity to see if is possible to improve upon this solid platform. After all, the S2000 is a sports car in its purist form--essentially created from the DNA of the Acura NSX and incredible Type R. By all accounts, this would be a very constructive test drive, both on and off the track.

Even if you have less than 20/20 vision, you'd be hard-pressed to miss the fat, 245/45-ZR17 BFGoodrich G-Force KD tires out back and 225/45-ZR17s up front, which are mounted around Racing Hart CP035s (17x7.5-inch and 17x8.5-inch) from Dazz Motorsport. While the tires exaggerate the sportiness of its wedge-shaped stance, I can only question why Neuspeed didn't test-fit a different offset in the rear, which would, at the very least, keep the tread under the wheel well. The answer probably lies in the trade-off between heavy wheels that fit perfectly and the featherweight CP035s in their less-than-ideal offset.

According to Greg Wu, president of Neuspeed, if he had it to do over again, he would have used a 17x8-inch wheel with a 45mm offset rather than the wider wheel and 40mm offset. But this set-up wasn't available during the build-up stage of this S2000. The cause and effect of that selection showed in our track testing session; for me, it was time to hit the streets to see how my Levis reacted to the changes that were made. But not before I cornered senior editor Josh Jacquot to learn how the car behaved against a stock S2000 at the track.

"As with all lowered S2000s that we've driven, they've been extraordinarily tail happy," said Jacquot. "Lots of snap-back, oversteer response, making it less driver friendly and/or stable than a stock car."

OK, so my first challenge was to see how well the Neuspeed Sport lowering springs (1.40-inch drop front and rear) and Koni adjustable shocks handled the everyday cracks and crevasses of city asphalt--stop-and-go traffic and dips, speed bumps or whatever else the average driver encounters. After all, track testing is only half the equation.

In this scenario, the Neuspeed-tuned S2000 was edgy, but livable. Being able to adjust Koni's low-pressure gas shocks for optimum rebound and lower the spring seat gave me even more flexibility if I really needed it. Freeway on-ramps and canyon roads are tailor-made for tight suspension systems, so I wasted little time finding all I could during my weekend jaunt.

While much stiffer than stock around corners, the Neuspeed upper strut tie-bar helps glue the suspension to the ground at speed. Combined with the billet lower front and rear tie-bars, the Neuspeed S2000 behaves with all the character of streetable racecar. Neuspeed discovered that by replacing the factory cross bars (which are made from channeled sheet metal), with its billet aluminum tie bars, they virtually eliminate flexing and twisting of the critical factory suspension mounting points.

The end result is a stiff, but reasonable, ride on most surfaces and a wonderfully responsive feel from steering input. In this regard, I give the Neuspeed-inspired S2000 a thumbs up.

Thanks to the Neuspeed cat-back exhaust system, the driver is also treated to deep, throaty exhaust notes as the car is run through all six gears. At the same time, the twin Neuspeed polished aluminum end mufflers and tips send a clear signal to anyone that thinks this is just your average rear-drive roadster. But again, the only thing I can measure from this seat-of-the-pants drive is how the car made me feel. In a nutshell, the Neuspeed S2000 made me feel like a million bucks.

In terms of any added horsepower, the spec box tells the tale better than I. By feel alone, the Neuspeed exhaust system didn't appear to add much to the stock 240 hp, and the dyno agreed, seeing no measurable difference. Torque in the bottom-end of the rpm band did seem to react with more authority than stock--although the sound of the exhaust system can be very deceiving.

As with all two-seaters that I have driven, I ask myself the final question: "Could I live with this car if it were my only transportation?" In a word, yes.

There's just something very gratifying about a car that can turn heads with a blip of the throttle, cut corners with the precision of a surgeon and then respond by rattling your teeth until the tach tops out at 9 grand. If that isn't enough for you, maybe it's time to pick another hobby.