Caro Claudio, pur essendo un Italiae automobilorum sponsor
(molto simpatico), mi piace però informarmi.
Ecco come promesso un articolo in perfetto inglese come al solito:
Perchè amo la Honda S2000
WHY I LOVE THE...
HONDA S2000With a stratospheric red line and supercar speed, the S2000 was a shot in the arm for Simon Charlesworth
Best mate wasn't looking too impressed. He'd finished his usual fiddling - the seat, door trim, glove-box, central storage cubby, switchgear and stereo had all been prodded, twiddled and fiddled. He's well-versed in car matters and a couple of sideways glances confirmed that he wasn't going all gooey with my latest blag.
This time I'd picked him up and deliberately taken it easy: more old Aunt Minnie
popping down to the shops in her elderly Honda Quintet than all-out road warrior.
As usual he was doing well with his passenger seat analysis, pointing out the problems with the S2000's steering wheel position - which was too low in relation to the seat and made you feel as if you were reading the Currant Bun on the lav - and the ride quality, which was clearly on the rag-and- bone side of firm.
The road then straightened up, cleared, turned molten-chocolate smooth and grew
another carriageway just in time for the verdict: 'You know matey, I have to say that this one doesn't really impress...'
Four cogs are dropped in the move from sixth to second gear, the elderly aunt impression vanishes and suddenly it sounds like Jimi Hendrix trashing a Stratocaster with a chainsaw... No hold on, that's not savage enough - double-track it with Robert Plant catching his Frank 'n' beans in his flies ? and yeah, that should do it.
The '80s throwback dashboard meanwhile goes all Technicolor, looking more like
the opening credits to Rainbow than is really healthy for a blokeish sports car's instrument panel. Up above the streets and houses, boy this rainbow is flying high - 9000 revolutions per minute. Incredible.
Best mate's face meanwhile has turned from po-faced cynic to something more akin to the dazed expression found on a blow-up doll (apparently) - he was loving it and for the next 60 seconds could only express himself in rapid-fire expletives.
That was and is why I love the S2000.
Okay, so the dash is ergonomically far more clever than it is pretty and, yes, despite some of the naff, old-school Jap detailing, I do like the look of it - the taut muscular styling and low-slung Gerry Anderson-style snout win the battle against those evil off-the-shelf black headlamp washer nozzles and cheap hi-fi-style badge on the front wing.
Yes, I'll admit that, on anything other than perfect tarmac, the S2000 would dart, twist, turn and tramline to the occasional alarming sound of aluminium chassis rubbing the road, as my knuckles grew hairier and whiter by the yard, but... Well, it boils down to an addictive base instinct which the bombastic 240bhp engine and six-speed gearbox tap into intravenously. Okay, I can understand why sensible people might find an engine which has to be revved like a full-spin Zanussi to go quickly more than a little irk-some, but as someone who's been schooled in Hondas I can easily forgive this bucket of fun its shortfalls.
Best mate? Well, in the space of an hour he went from being a bit bored and down in the dumps to a whooping loon pulling donuts in a car park. So there you have it: the S2000, Prozac for petrolheads.
Car Honda S2000 Engine 4 cyls in line, 1997cc Max power 237bhp at 8300rpm
0-60mph 5.6sec Price £26,000