By 2008, Honda’s S2000 was getting a little long in the tooth. So rather than kill it off without nary a fanfare, they decided to introduce the Honda S2000 Club Racer (CR). With just 699 examples produced, Honda’s attention to detail played ensured this became a track-focused performance machine.
It sported an aggressive front lip and a big rear wing, the kind that you’d expect for something geared towards the odd track day. With the CR extra attention was applied to adding lightness, and owners had the option of deleting the air conditioning and stereo to save 90 lbs.
Read: Question Time: Did The Latest NSX Ever Reach Its Full Potential?
In place of the leather convertible roof, the car now came with roadster-like design cues and chassis bracing in its place to ensure corners were attacked with the utmost precision. Honda did provide a hardtop, but this perhaps wasn’t the all-weather convertible concept the standard car was. With the small changes in its design, Honda also made a few changes to the CR’s suspension too. The car output the same power as the normal S2000 but had stiffer suspension, a tighter steering ratio and stickier tires.
The Honda S2000 CR, when released, was often regarded as Honda milking it when they had the chance, but is now regarded as the best version of the S2000 and the one you should have, to experience what made the S2000 what it is. The value of the Club Racer has also risen considerably and can retail for close to triple figures for a good clean example with enthusiasts always on the hunt for one. Even host Doug DeMuro is a big fan of the car, with him even stating that it’s one of his “Favorite sports cars of the 2000s.”