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It could be the S2000's swan song - sung with a banshee wail.
Honda is bringing to market the closest thing to a production race car we've seen from the traditionally stoic automaker in quite some time.
The S2000 CR (which stands for Club Racer), according to Super Street, may be as finely tuned a track machine as is currently available in production trim. Although the weasel-on-meth 2.2L F22C motor is already at its practical output limits at 237hp, the roadster's danceable chassis has found itself the recipient of numerous upgrades. With the convertible top, spare tire, and jack ditched (an optional aluminum hard top is available), and with optional A/C and stereo deletes, the CR edition saves almost 100 pounds on the base car.
However, new (possibly garish) aero bits contribute downforce at speed, but also weight. On the scales it's two steps forward, one step back. Still, the improved power to weight ratio enhances getaways, although increased drag does reduce top speed compared to the base car.
Stiffer suspension, heavier sway bars, and wider, stickier tires are the keys to substantial on-track handling improvements, no small feat considering the already near-mythical performance of Honda's only sports car. The CR also receives quicker steering which, according to Super Street, is the same as the '00-'03 S2000, still held aloft by purists as something of an automotive deity.
Our take? For the past couple of years the demise of the S2000 has been a thing of rumor. Although no official word has yet come down from Honda brass, word has it the car's relatively sluggish sales are a good indicator that the 2008 model year may well be its last. With the retirement of Senior Designer Shigeru Uehara, father of the S2000 as well as the dearly departed NSX, Honda may well be leaving its sporting past behind. As the sole sports car in its lineup, we all have to wonder if a replacement is in the works and just what that car will resemble. Considering the likely GT-ification of the NSX, we expect the S2000's lineage to be similarly reinterpreted. If manic, high strung, on the ragged edge style roadsters are your passion, or if you just want a machine to blast around in at "run what you brung" track days, this might be your one and only chance for a car with a Honda badge.
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