Japan has ruled the sports car market ever since the Mazda MX-5 changed the landscape in 1989. A decade later, 25 years ago this year, Honda moved in on that stage with what would become a screaming cult hero and a gaming star.
That car was the S2000, a two-litre two-seater that would happily – preferably, in fact – wind all the way to 9000rpm. Full power kicked in at 8300rpm, begging you to hold the gears and your nerve.
To mark its quarter of a century, Honda UK will be bringing its Edition 100 to the Scramble. A run-out special edition, it wears crisp white paint like the most revered Hondas and is one of just 100 made – as the name suggests.
Even in 1999 the S2000 had been a long time coming. The first Honda road car, a kei-sized truck, landed in 1963 and motorcycle-bred buzzy sports car variants soon followed.
First came the S360, which never made production form, then the 500 and 600. The line culminated in the S800 of 1966, a stout machine powered by an 800cc that could be wound up to a raucous 9500rpm. It could clip 100mph, with enough patience, but sensation surely rules over out-and-out speed.
Curiously, there was no open-top two-seater Honda sports car separating the Sixties sensation and the S2000, launched for the new millennium.
Instead Honda focused on family cars for 30 years, revolutionising the hatchback before even the VW Golf. In 1990 it did offer its take on the supercar, the mid-engined NSX.
While the NSX is a familiar sight at Bicester Heritage and the Scramble, an S800 is most certainly not. Only around 50 or so remain in the UK in all forms – coupé or convertible.
Thankfully, Honda UK has recently restored an S800 that it says is probably the best in the country. It will join its overdue replacement to celebrate the S2000 turning 25 at the Scramble on Sunday 21 April.
