My Honda S2000

Even stock, the Honda S2000 has great performance and handling. It only weighs about 2,900 lbs with a 50/50 weight distribution and the DOHC V-TECH engine puts out almost 240 HP. In other words it can just about keep up with a Hemi Cuda on the drag strip and run circles around it on a road coarse. My husband has never really liked imports but even he's impressed with the S2000. You can pick up a low mileage S2000 in great condition for $15K or less - way cheaper than just about any Cuda. (Of course the Cuda is a classic and one of the most beautiful cars of all time, but the S2000 looks pretty good to my eyes)

Even stock, the S2000 is a lot of fun to drive, but it has the potential for even better performance. Modified S2000's can run the quarter mile in the low 11's at over 120 mph and still be streetable. Many performance parts are available for the S2000 and there are some very good S2000 tuners. Whether you just want to improve the handling of your S2000 or take its performance to a whole new level, the S2000 is a fun car to modify.

Honda is mostly known for their front wheel drive cars, but their first production car was actually rear wheel drive - the Honda S500 Roadster. The S500 featured a 531 cc inline 4 cylinder engine that produced 44 hp at 8000 rpm, 4 speed manual transmission, chain drive, and four wheel independent suspension. In 1964, the S500 was replaced by the Honda S600. The S600 was very similar in design to the S500 with a slightly larger engine (606 cc) that produced 57 hp at 8500 rpm. The S600 was offered as both a convertible and a fastback coupe, with production running from 1963 through 1965 when it was replaced by the Honda S800. Like the S600, the Honda S800 was offered in both convertible and fastback coupe models. Its 791 cc engine made 70 hp at 8000 rpm and could push the S800 to 100 mph. Early S800s shared the chain drive and independent rear suspension of the S500 and S600., with later versions using a live axle and drive shaft. Soon after switching to the live axle setup, Honda also replaced the front drums with disc brakes. Production of the S800 lasted through May, 1970. After production of the S800 stopped, Honda didn't produce another roadster until the introduction of the S2000 for the 2000 model year.