2007 New York Auto Show: 2008 Honda S2000 CR

I had a 2001 S2000 and LOVED IT. It was a great car. This thing looks 100% horrible. I was really interested to see what Honda would come up with . . . HUGH disapointment.
- Max

Hmmm. You would think it would come with a permanent rollover bar if it were for the true "club racer," no?
 
Bridgestone Potenza RE070s are also the tires that come on the Subaru Impreza WRX STI from the factory.

That wing...why do that to such a beautiful car?

Man the car its self looks very nice, but the wing? i dont kno about that, and for a special edition of the s2000 they should have added few extra horses and increas the torque on it.

i guess we'll see "CR Style" CF wings from aftermarket vendor soon.

I LOVE IT!!
 
I may just sell my Boxster just to get one of those!!!!!
 
90 lbs isn't a lot. I was hoping 150 lbs... :-(

intersting... picture this: you wanna take a trip in your 08 Honda S2000 CR. in your city, its beautiful... where you're going, not so much... forget taking off the top cause you cant carry it with you. more power was all that was needed for this car. 90lbs, a huge ugly wing and hardtop was not! shame

I forgot they still make these cars...

A huge disapointment in every dimensions! I was expecting they keep the style/sharp and upgrade the engine by putting it a 2.4 liter or better yet a 6-inline or V6 with some real low-end torque.
 
And the wing... Ugly to the say the least!
 
I saw the new Civic Type-R released in Japan. It looks sharp! And the Type-R 2-door in UK is also cool looking. But this S2000 CR is really urgly!!!

I really like the wheels, and the bumpers and side skirts arent bad either, but that wing... that is way over the limit!! and no power gain? I dont think I've ever said this about a Honda, but this is really disappointing...

VERY UGLY. Change the model already!! Looks to me that they just colored it blue and added a ricer wing onto a already ricer looking car...

Okay - This is definitely a letdown...
It felt very logical they would massage the existing 2.2 Liter engine and up the revs back to 8900 and go back to the real S2K roots and possibly generate some 8% or so improvement in HP. It is good that Honda has gone "lotus"y and shed some pounds here but , Is that truely adequate???
Also, as much as I love my hard top, I tend to use the soft top more often so, on that note, the CR is definitely not my kinda car....
 
It certainly looks like it is the NISMO 350Z fighter from Honda but they should really not have bothered with the wing... Oh Well, the CR can be viewed as a perfect case study for what could happen if you try to make the best even better and end up not doing it right.... The headrest humps are kind of polarizing - You either like it or hate it. My first thought when I saw the pic was: "Can I get a retrofit?". ON second thoughts, I decided I will reserve my judjement until I see it in person this w/e @ Jacob Javitz....
Anyways, It is a new addition to S2K nation and as always, it should be accepted wholeheartedly ;-)

The portion behind the seats look like the one from Pontiac or Saturn roadster. Did Honda copy it from the U.S. design? Honda claimed that '... the s2000 cr will bring the performance to an entire new level..."
 
????? What new level? No additional power output but with an ugly wing??? VERY DISAPOINTED to say the least.
 
Anyhow, the two 'things' behind the seats do NOT look very good on the S2000. I still think the original style is a classic. Why did Honda screw up by adding this ugly portion and the huge wing?
 
What they needed to do is upgrade the engine by making it a 6-inline or v6 or turbo 4 and boost the low-end torque to about 200lbs at 4000rpm; also, beef up the insulations so that it's quieter with top up.

As an AP1 S2000 owner I dont think the car really needs anymore power as its a brilliant package to begin with. Honda states that the modifications done to the CR resulted in a 2 second drop on their very own Tochigi test track which is substantial. I just wish they didnt have to ruin the design with that wing. Id rather have the HFP wing thats offered as a dealer package on the regular S2000 as it doesnt look out of place.
 
BF109Ace, The S2000s engine is fine as it is. A bigger 4cyl or V6 would certainly ruin its character. More low end torque is always welcome but why ruin the chassis by adding a heavier V6? Id rather see a new version of the Civic Si's K20 and Hondas new a-VTEC system added. Modified K20's are known for their torque and the new a-VTEC is supposed to offer 10-15% more torque over the conventional i-VTEC system. As Ive said many times before, if you dont "get" the S2000 then its probably not for you.

I am also very disappointed with this new Hot Wheels addition to the Honda line. We have a 2001 S2000 with all the track components to make it just as fast (faster) as the CR but it actually looks good. The previous S2000 won over it's buyers by being stylish and fast with nimble feet all in a lightweight design. I think they changed the wrong items on this car. They should never have changed the looks to meet the movie craze of the Fast and the Furious, and they should have upped the power handling of the rear drivetrain at least. I will have to keep the 2001 forever I guess.

I agree on the engine too. Keep it.

why would anyone want to buy the same car they could've got over five years ago?......honda replace this this classic....its getting a bit old..........PLEASE!!!!!!!!...

I love my AP1 and I like the refinements made to the AP2 all except the lower redline. In order for me to consider the CR it would have to deliver a driving experience thats far above the base S2000. I can get over the "canards" but that wing..........
 
Ill reserve my judgement on the CR at least untill I see it in the flesh. But as of now even though track performance is up significantly the asthetics are holding me back. I guess if you need a good base for a solid track car than this would be it as its certainly worthy reguardless of looks.
 
NativeThug, Honda has made a few tweaks to the car since its debut. In 2004 (AP2) Honda installed a slightly larger inline 4 with a bit thicker torque band, better suspension tuning (got rid of the twitchiness and snap oversteer at the limit) as well as interior refinements, body, wheel and tire upgrade. So its not the exact same car you could buy 5 years ago.
 
If anyone can name another roadster in this price range (or close) than can provide a better driving experience Id like to see it. Before you say Solctice GXP/Saturn Redline......Ive driven both and although they offer a strong motor they are still missing some ingredients, most notable would be refinement. The closest would be the Porsche Boxter but it costs significantly more than the S.

I think Honda should have the upper version of the S2000 to be a hardtop convertible (folding not removing, just like the Miata) with a V6 to compensate for the weight increase.

Will the whining subside any time soon? As the article clearly stated, this is a Club Racer model, full of small details to make it more race-car friendly, just like the MX-5 Club Spec. This is a limited production model, Honda doesn't really care if you think it looks good or not.
 
"Honda says that the special-edition S2000 contains no fluff — even the wing is functional. Honda says it produces a small amount of downforce at high speed. Likewise Honda says the little jowls at the lower corners of the nose reduce aerodynamic lift at speed. The company even claims some sort of aerodynamic purpose for the two new humps behind the seats' headrests."
For the record, those humps reduce aerodynamic drag.
 
Most of these details are common in the "Club Racer", "Club Spec", or "CSL" versions of a sought after track car such as the S2000, MX-5, and M3, respectively. Grippy cloth seats, more ridgid chassis, tighter suspension, aero tweaks, special wheel/tire packages, etc. They're not going for looks.

2,000 CRs a year is not exactly a limited production model. There's only, what, 8,000 S2Ks made each year? I'll be shocked if they sell 2,000 of these.
 
The AP1 is still the best (as an AP1 owner myself).
 
As far as a 6 cylinder S2K, balance is not affected in a catastrophic way. There's a company that exchanges the F20C with a 2JZ (www.fiftyfiftyracing.com).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WirkGXYdOus
 
Personally, I prefer my s/c-ed S2K. I've dyno-ed 320whp and it's perfectly sufficient. I do feel I'm still lacking torque, though.

They need to shave more weight, add a carbon fiber hood and rear trunk. Also if the car is intended to be raced it needs to have Racing SEATS that will work with a harness

So per bbechtel16, the CR is a pure club racer - meaning, the S2000 has been discontinued and the CR is is just a special limited edition.
 
Gook luck to Honda if they could possibly sell 1,000 of the CR. Couldn't the Japs learn from German designs (i.e. Porsche 911). The 911 is a beauty even as a racing car. In comparison, the CR is an ugly wierd beast without much guts.
 
If Honda couldn't come up with any updates on the S2000, why didn't they just discontinue and leave us some good memories? I guess they hit a wall on the 4-cyclinder engine - cannot produce more power or low-end torque. Sigh!