For the 2004 model year, Honda revamped the S2000 roadster with a long-stroke variant of the F-series engine. The 2.2-liter mill couldn’t rev as high as the 2.0-liter engine used in previous S2Ks but it was just a little torquier at lower engine speeds, which makes it better for daily driving.
The heavily-modified sports car in the following video is rocking the aforementioned 2.2-liter motor, but it’s a very different animal from the bone-stock powerplant. Originally rated at up to 237 ponies and 162 pound-feet (220 Nm) of torque for the Japanese domestic market, the F22C1 in this vehicle is flexing 844 rear-wheel horsepower according to the owner.
A GT35 turbocharger from Garrett Motion explains the crazy output. Fitted with super-sticky tires and a Nissan 350Z-sourced rear differential, the one-of-one build is also gifted with a dog-box transmission featuring an H pattern instead of a sequential unit. Insane aerodynamics, lots of carbon fiber, aftermarket wheels, beefier rotors and calipers, as well as a widebody kit pretty much sum up this menacing sports car owned by @s2k_dbox.
On the other lane of the track, we have the performance bargain of the year. Tesla calls the most exciting Model S of them all the Plaid, and you can have one for the cool sticker price of $129,990 sans taxes and potential savings. A three-motor powerhouse with seating for five and 1,020 horsepower on deck, the Plaid is capable of hitting 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in 1.99 seconds if you turn a blind eye to the first foot of rollout. Despite its hefty curb weight, the all-electric sedan from Fremont promises 9.23 seconds at 155 mph (250 kph) on the quarter-mile sprint.
As you may have guessed by now based on the headline, the S2K cannot hold a candle to the MSP in a straight line, be it a dig race or roll race. The Model S Plaid also happens to be much easier to drive fast, which is only natural of an electric powertrain and loads of safety nannies.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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