Know Your Roots

A quick glance through the pages of this month's cover feature is all it takes to be convinced that Honda's S2000 truly represents the essential sports car. Its already impressive stock attributes respond readily to modification-testament to the S's status as a street-going adaptation of the company's race-effort. But even more evident to enthusiasts is how much the roadster (and likewise, race-effort) shares with Honda's consumer econo-boxes. If nothing else, Honda's "S" proves Honda's long held belief that the differences between an efficient consumer car and a potent track machine are few and far between; much the same way the company's debut automobile did over 45 years ago, which coincidentally, also bore an "S" designation.

While you may have heard of Hondas first "car", the S500, it wasn't until the introduction of the S600 that the company's design of a roadster stabilized, and Hondas were first mass-produced. Built on the company's winning sport bike recipes, the chain-driven, RWD S600 still carries the title of "highest-revving production car," with a carbureted 0.6L DOHC I-4 that churned out 57 hp at 9,500 rpm and could rev past its 10K rpm redline. The 600 also bragged an F/R orientation with near 50:50 weight distribution, four-wheel independent suspension and could reach an impressive 90 mph top speed, thanks to its feathery 1,500 pound curb weight. Offered as either a convertible or coupe (though far more popular as the roadster), the two-seater even featured "quick-release" passenger seat removability for track day.

Released the same year as Honda's F1 racing debut, the S600 did more than establish the company's trend of adapting its race effort to a street-going roadster, continued in the current "S", but it also marked the beginning of the company's dedication to producing ultra-efficient, sporty consumer cars. A variant of the S600, the 100 mpg N600, was Honda's first car exported to the states and served to set the stage for its successor, the Civic-further proof of the unstated Honda philosophy: "That which works well on the track, works well on the street."

Then Vs Now