Honda S2000 (AP2) review: the last naturally aspirated roadster built without compromise
4.1/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The AP2 S2000 is not a rational used-car purchase in Bahrain - it is a two-seat, soft-top roadster with almost no boot space, sourced entirely through private import, in a climate that tests both its top and its air conditioning for five months of the year. None of that matters once the VTEC cam profile switches near 6,000 rpm. Buy a documented, unmodified example with full service history; avoid anything that has clearly been tracked hard without matching maintenance, because the F22C punishes neglect far more than it punishes high revs.
Pros
- F22C VTEC engine revving to 8,000 rpm remains unmatched among naturally aspirated production fours
- Six-speed manual and near-50:50 weight balance are still a class benchmark
- Rear-wheel drive, driver-focused chassis with almost no modern equivalent
- Prices have held and generally risen as the car gains collector status
Cons
- Never sold new in Bahrain - every example is a private Japanese or North American import
- Soft top and factory air conditioning were not designed for Gulf summers
- Very small trunk and firm ride make it a poor daily-driver choice
- F22C punishes deferred maintenance more than it punishes hard driving
The S2000 was Honda's answer to a question almost nobody else was still asking in 1999: what happens if you build a roadster around the engine first and everything else second. The result was a 2.2-litre four in its final AP2 form that revs to an 8,000 rpm limiter, a six-speed manual with a shift action still used as a benchmark, and a near-perfect front-mid-engine weight balance.
Below 6,000 rpm it is a competent, slightly ordinary small roadster. Above it, the VTEC cam profile switches and the engine comes alive in a way few naturally aspirated four-cylinders since have matched. This is a car that has to be driven the way Honda's engineers intended to make any sense of its reputation.
Living with one in Bahrain
No S2000 was ever sold new through a Bahraini dealer; every example here arrived as a private Japanese or North American import, usually already several owners in. That import history matters more than mileage - a well-documented Japanese auction car with verified service records is a safer buy than a cheaper one with gaps in its history.
The soft top and the small cabin are the two things Bahrain's climate tests hardest. Expect to replace a tired roof and its seals sooner than in a milder market, and check the air conditioning carefully before buying - it was never designed with 45 degree Celsius summers in mind, and a weak system on a car with a fabric roof is not a minor inconvenience here.
The flaw owners notice, and who should buy one
The complaint that surfaces within the first few months of ownership is not the engine or the gearbox - it is how little else the car offers: a trunk too small for a proper grocery run, road noise on the highway, and a ride that is firm even by sports-car standards. Buy it anyway if what you want is a manual, rear-wheel-drive, high-revving roadster with almost no modern equivalent; buy something else if you need a car that also has to do daily-driver duty.