Honda S2000: Spotted

How does a large and prodigious car manufacturer at the top of its game celebrate turning 50?

The Honda Motor Company was officially formed in 1949 and, to mark the firm's jubilee (an event that occurs every 50 years, incidentally), it gave the world the S2000, a rear-wheel drive, two-seat drop-top sports car of prodigious performance, 50/50 weight distribution and impressively low polar moments of inertia.

It had even more than that: for starters there was a wonderful 2.0-litre 16-valve VTEC engine which produced 240hp at 8,300rpm. It was a vivid screamer that could potter all day and then hammer like a racer at the switch of a cam profile. Top speed was 150mph - wonderfully quick - and the 0 to 60mph time was 6.0 seconds - delightfully brisk. Chuck in a slick six-speed 'box and a Torsen limited-slip diff and suddenly things looked decidedly juicy.

And there was more. The front/mid-engined layout, the low centre of gravity, the wide track, the aluminium double-wishbone suspension, the rigid frame, the high-geared electric power steering, the special Bridgestone tyres, the digital instruments and even a hood that was quick to use. It was all tremendously well thought out and brilliant fun on the road - and it was an 'onda, so it'd never go wrong.

I have to point out at this stage that some thought the on-the-limit handling of the earlier cars too twitchy, and others weren't convinced by that electric steering (later models had minor mods to quell its zest), but punting an S2000 of any vintage down a winding road on a sunny day will still have you laughing out loud - it's a yaw-busting, jaw-aching hoot.

What isn't such a cause for laughter is that some time back you could have picked one up for under £5k, but this one, spied in our classifieds for a mere £7.5k, is about as low as you're going to get now. It's still a good price, though, especially for a car with plenty of history and only 79k on board - this one's also a GT model with a hardtop - and the value's only going to go one way.

An investment in which you can have fun? Sounds like a cause for celebration to me.

SPECIFICATION - HONDA S2000

Engine: 1,997cc, 4-cyl
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 240@8,300rpm
Torque (lb ft): 162@6,500rpm
MPG: 28.3
CO2: 236g/km
First registered: 2000
Recorded mileage: 79,000
Price new: £25,995
Yours for: £7,500