Analog cult classic cars are much loved and awesome! However, the low mileage, unmodified (aka unmolested) collectable ones are increasingly rare. A barn find is amazing! In reality though, time ages, dries out and rots expensive, hard to find factory engine and suspension rubber and plastic parts. Can you really trust a 20-30+ year old car with never changed, old brittle and hard parts? Umm...it's better to eliminate ALL weak links by replacing every business end, functional and important go part, that's not metal, to turn back time and have a new factory fresh like vehicle. This AP1 can take you cross country and back in comfort with new Honda like reliability. How many other S2000's have undergone such an non-superficial, intensive refresh?
For those of us of a certain age, remember when Honda/ Acura was cool? In the US, it started with the ground breaking NSX and then the 3rd generation Integra GS-R and the piece de resistance, 1997-2001 Integra Type-R. And then the S2000 appeared to celebrate Honda's 50th anniversary. Followed the by the lost- please, please, delete the beak, phone it in- decade. And then came the, took forever to arrive, 2nd gen NSX, that was too complex, too expensive and no one loved and therefore didn't sell well. RIP. The S2000 was peak Honda glory days of rev happy naturally aspirated DOCH VTEC Honda engines. The S2000 formula is a simple RWD, front mid-engine architecture with perfect 50/50 front and rear weight distribution, lightweight aluminum hood, double wishbone suspension at all four corners, standard LSD, supposedly one of the best direct rifle bolt action feel shifters of all time and a high tech Honda engine, with a glorious F1 banshee scream engine note and legendary 9K redline.
This 2002 Honda S2000 was purchased in January 2018 from the original owner in Arkansas- which is has a subtropical climate and low or no road salt days- and shipped to me in California. It was and is always garaged. During my ownership, it was fully restored using $16K in parts. ALL the hoses and parts that have plastic and or rubber were replaced. The engine alone has a MASSIVE amount of hidden, hard to reach and labor intensive to access, small and large coolant and air hoses that were replaced using OEM Honda parts. The serpentine belt, and air filter were replaced with OEM Honda.
For the new car look, I even the replaced the iconic Honda red F20C engine valve cover with new a OEM Honda S2000 valve cover. The next owner will have to polish up the black and silver HONDA spark plug cover plate. The valve cover has a new OEM valve cover gasket, spark plugs and spark plug tube seals, dipstick o ring, air box gasket, front and rear hood seals, trunk weather weather seals, gas cap, clutch line hose and dust boot. This was an extreme refreshening. The brake fluid was flushed. The electric power steering rack, which is beltless, has new bushings and new OEM Honda steering tie rod ends. The upper and lower ball joints at all four corners are new HardRace brand. No stone was left unturned. All new OEM Honda secondary smog pump air hoses, which is very extensive and mostly unseen, tucked in the lower engine and bumper area, with new spring clip clamps. New OEM Honda brake reservoir cap and plastic components. The brake booster hoses and the tiny air hoses, both which everyone overlooks and no one cares about, along with all under hood hoses, were all painstakingly replaced with new OEM Honda hoses.
Even the four dampers are new OEM Honda S2000 with new OEM top bump stops and related top of shock tower suspension parts. "Dang son! Factory remote reservoir shocks in da back!?" Yes sir. The new front and rear sway bar end links are Moog brand, all metal, re-greaseable type. The drive axles, electric power steering boots were re-greased and rebooted using Honda OEM grease and parts. Even the rubberized metal battery tie down was replaced with a new OEM Honda one. The brakes and suspension have new StopTech rotors and brake lines with Hawk Performance Ceramic, black and yellow box, pads. The front calipers were rebuilt using an OEM Honda rebuild kit. The rear calipers are new remanufactured. (The OEM rear used calipers come with the parts that come with the car.) The gear shifter mechanism was lubricated with fresh Honda grease. The coolant is new and OEM Honda. The oil has been changed with full synthetic Mobile 1 motor oil with a highly rated Royal Purple, supposedly better than OEM, oil filter. Post suspension and driveline restoration, a four wheel and suspension alignment was performed at a local tire shop. The steering wheel points and tracks straight and has no tire vibration.
No airbox built in small air hose clips, under hood hardware metal and plastic and body panel clips are missing nor broken. All have been delicately treated and preserved. God is in the details.
The rubber transmission and engine mounts are new from Ballade Sports using OEM metal engine and transmission mount hardware. The suspension bushings are red polyurethane Energy Suspension. However, to maintain the OEM ride, the differential rear mounts are new rubber OEM Honda S2000. The compliance bushings are special from the UK PowerFlex brand polyethene pillow ball bushings, which are better than rubber OEM Honda compliance bushings. Polyurethane bushings last the lifetime of a vehicle. Rubber parts and bushings degrade after 15 years or so. This combination of Energy Suspension, PowerFlex, Ballade Sports engine and transmission mounts and OEM Honda bushings and mount hardware, due to proper polyurethane installation and through greasing, has resulted in a silent, supple, squeakless, OEM, fresh from the factory like ride.
The car also comes with new, never installed, from the UK, rare Genuine Honda Accessories LHD S2000 carpet floor mats with metal hardware. Even the interior center plastic console in the car, which has the leather shift boot and leather elbow resting pad, is new Made in Japan, OEM Honda. Most all the OEM Honda restoration parts I used, were were MIJ. Some OEM Honda hoses though, were made in Thailand. The spring clip clamps for the heating and and large coolant hoses are new OEM Honda. Some important, smaller coolant hoses, deep in the center of the engine, have new OEM Honda spring clip clamps too.
The engine has titanium dress up bolts and a titanium hood prop rod. The radiator is new, all aluminum, from KoyoRad with new OEM Honda thermostat, gasket and temp sensor. The $5.5K hardtop is new from Carbon Creations and was Honda paint matched and has optional more expensive glass rear window and $500 OEM Honda window seals. It has $900 OEM Honda hardtop hardware and $150 Ballade Sports hardtop latch locks. The original soft top is tucked underneath, behind the seats, using the power folding top mechanism- which works fine. Starting in 2002, soft top convertibles have the glass rear windows. There are NO rips and tears in the convertible fabric. The car comes with the original front and rear sway bars, hood prop rod, new transmission and differential gear oil, hardtop rack, Weather Shield HP custom car cover, and two shoe boxes of new OEM Honda gaskets and miscellaneous new S2K parts and other new OEM Honda parts that don't fit in the shoe boxes.
My favorite upgrade is the rigid collars. The front and rear subframes bolts, which are super long, now have the rigid collars modification which mitigates chassis and suspension movement or play to make the car feel more solid.
After the restoration, the local Honda dealer evaluated the car and said the secondary smog pump and relay needed replacement. However, that issue did not effect drivability, engine health and was only CARB related. The smog parts have since been replaced and the Honda tech said the engine is very strong and the vehicle vibrations were related to the WhiteLine front subframe brace and Ballade Sports lowering engine mounts and the Innovative transmission mount. Since then, I removed all those aftermarket parts and re-installed the OEM hardware mounts. The S2000 now dives like an Accord. It's smooth with no harshness. The ride height is OEM too. The headers and mufflers are OEM and therefore not loud. The car also does not burn a drop of oil, has no engine, transmission, radiator, clutch line, brake fluid, nor differential leaks and everything works. The engine always keeps the same middle of the gage temp and the engine sewing machine like purrs and really screams when VTEC kicks in yo, racing towards the legendary AP1 9K redline. There's no odd smells nor any squeaks or rattles. The heat is hot and the AC is cold. The exhaust never smells like anything other than steam and it doesn't smoke. It has no gasoline nor oil smell. And there's no oil residue in the the tail pipe tips and under the hood, there's no oil in the radiator. There's no rust anywhere on the car. The interior is clean. The seats have no rips, stains or tears. The leather on the steering wheel is in very good condition and supple like the leather on the seats. The interior has a pleasant clean and leather smell. Every few months, the steering wheel and seats were always moisturized, with leather treatment. The CD player/ radio works. The paint is original. All body panels have the original Honda part number sticker. There are no check engine nor dashboard lights on. All electrical and HVAC controls and switches work. The car was always run and brought up to temperature for 30 minutes or more, every 1-2 weeks, to maintain the AC o ring gaskets, mitigate oil, fuel and fluid moisture and maintain engine lubrication. Two original Honda key fob remotes with 2 ignition keys and 1 valet ignition key, with OEM factory engine immobilizer chips, are included with the car.
The windshield has no cracks nor chips and the lower metal trim where the newer wiper blades sit, has a new OEM Honda gasket and the car comes with a large flat rectangular shaped box that has an OEM Honda windshield gasket. The power windows on the doors and the door power mirror controls all work fine.
That all said, here are the things that need to be addressed. The parking brake needs to be adjusted. It holds the car in place on a flat surface. However, on an incline, it's better to also put the car in gear. And the cigarette lighter doesn't work, the OEM Honda window seals on the hardtop needs to be glued with the 3M weatherstrip gasket adhesive, which I will supply with the car. Around town, the seals are fine. However, at highway speeds the gasket trim bulges out. Also, the paint is the typical always garaged type that's really nice original but it isn't perfect and could use a good polish pad and lotions related type paint correction in some areas. On the positive side, there are no door dings nor dents anywhere. I live in an apartment and therefore have no access to a water hose nor power outlet at my garage spot and in 6 years, inside and out, I never vacuumed, waxed nor washed it. So this S2000 is a naturally beauty, like a lady who wakes up in bed next to you in the morning that still looks hot without makeup. The dirt and road grime underneath should clean up like new. The first owner had the bumper resprayed and the bumper removal caused some scratches on one headlight lens. The four 16" OEM size tires, are Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, with less than 200 miles and are factory staggered, wider in rear, sized. 205/55R16 front and 225/50R16 rears. One front tire has a, wheel/rim seating related, slow leak. And the new OEM wire harness for the hardtop rear glass defrost needs to be setup.
It's summertime. This AP1 is ready to be enjoyed. It has tons of personality and is super fun to drive. Treat yourself. If needed, sell some bitcoin, stocks or whatever, bid and then make room in your garage. You're already on eBay. Order that metal, "S2000 Parking Only, All Others Will be Towed" sign, too! This is a rare AP1. It's always wise to buy a vehicle where the heavy lifting, high labor cost type maintenance and complete mechanical restoration was already performed. S2000 prices, in this condition, will only increase over time. Therefore to convince yourself and or your wife, know this fully restored AP1 purchase- isn't a used car money pit. And logically, if the normal icon used car market stays the same, you won't loose money and is likely a good financial investment. At the very least, it will be a free or near free during your ownership, due to little or no depreciation.
Why am I selling this S2000 now? Well, this was a personal, keep forever vehicle. However, I'm in the process of permanently moving to a RHD cars country. The cost of cargo container sea shipping combined with LHD to RHD steering wheel dashboard conversion doesn't make financial sense.