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The BannerThe Era WHEELS Thursday Jan 7 W3 Iconic Honda ends final production year marked contrast to a new age of neaUy-fold- ing convertible The spacelimited unchanging interior A retro audio system The same old digital tachometer and read out The dual airbag limitations But I would be just as quick to refute those criticisms The electricpowered top opens quickly and easily The speedotach combo works just fine thank you 1 still get a kick out of the hid den radio panel the starter button that was a novelty before imitators copied it and the eccentric fuel lid release pull that nobody can find the first time Snicking the closeratio stubby sixspeed shifter through the gears reminds me of lap ping in Formula Ford racecars And love the simplicity of the dash buttons and toggles audio on the left HVAC on the right Simple and perfect Add all that to its exterior elegance the snakeheadsnout and wedgelike profile that still gets me thumbs up from passersby and youve got a car that looks and performs with timeless elan At first glance my romance with the S2000 may not seem a natural fit Cramming my six- footplus frame and limbs into its confined spaces takes some doing I actually have to take my wallet out of my back pocket to gain a few extra millimetres of room Even then I endure honking cars behind me when 1 forget to crane forward to see the advanced green And I still have to crabsteer with hands on top of the steering wheel because my knees are in the way which is not exactly conducive to fast laps in timed events or track testing But so what All is forgiven when that gas pedal mashes down and the Formula One- inspired engine erupts with a bellowing honk of acceleration that pushes you down and deeper into the seat back Then theres that little twitch of the rump before the VSA catches control and the thrust seems to grow and grow as the VTEC valve system kicks in and pushes you steadily into the screaming stratosphere of upper rev limits And that my friends never ever gets old A second generation S2000 in upped engine displacement to a 22litre 2157 cc 16valve DOHC VTEC fourcylinder motor that bumped the highrevving naturally aspi rated performance levels to albeit at a slightly lower but still lofty and 6000 rpm due to longer piston stroke The engine harnesses enough oomph to please at lbft of torque at Yes like any diva the S2000 is easier to love than to live with That same wonderfully accelerating engine sings at a constant rpm while youre long- hauling at a semilegal 120 kmh highway speed making for loudvoiced conversation and barely audible audio And the taut suspen sion bruises batters and fails what my wife calls the Tims test measuring how much takeout coffee gets past your lips instead of onto your lap But love demands some sacrifice after all And when the snug cabin seem to wrap around you like the cockpit confines of a jinking jet fighter when that taut suspension swings you unerringly through the corners when the roaring engine climbs ever higher to a prod of the pedal you quickly forget about radios suspension ratios and minor comfort complaints This is a true sports car somewhat demand ing but delivering all the power and perfor mance that any driver could desire The engine numbers havent changed in five years but it still outperforms other roadsters blowing away the Miata even the past Mazdaspeed MX5 version coming closer to Porsche Boxster power- to- weight ratios And despite my emphasis of fun over frugality as test ed the S2000 delivered a relatively modest 105LV 100km combined fuel economy aver age Sales in Canada have dwindled to double digits over the past couple of years but S2000 fans should still find models in six exteri or colour choices and with a black interior starting at Theres no immediate successor to the S2000 in the works with future rear-wheel- drive projects scrapped for Hondas current fuel economy hybrid emphasis But an OSM roadster concept debuted not long ago and its hard to look at the second generation CRZ concept that was unveiled in Tokyo this October without seeing the unmis takable design in its front end treatment Until Honda comes through with some thing new I guess Ill be limited to begging borrowing and stealing occasional rides in steadily aging S2000s Which like I said doesnt leave me with much of a reason to test one But with plenty of reasons to drive one HONDA S2000 2009 AT A GLANCE BODY STYLE Performance roadster DRIVE METHOD frontengine rearwheel drive ENGINE inline fourcyiinder engine 237 hp 162 lb ft FUEL ECONOMY 1 184L100 km cttyhwy As tested 10 100km combined PRICE Find a car Wheelsca has tens of thousands of active listings and lets you search and compare multiple vehicles at once So finding the right car is easy And fast Wheels ca Your friend in the automotive business