The S2000 was introduced to the market in 1999 but was marketed as a 2000 model. The S2000 was a hit with car enthusiasts who enjoyed its effective manual transmission and its cool chassis work. Top Gear star Jeremy Clarkson was reported being a huge fan of the S2000, and the car always did great in their annual car surveys!

The first release of the Honda sports car was designed to pay homage to the company’s 50th anniversary. The S2000 was well received by consumers that the Japanese car manufacturer decided to produce the car..

The 2000 on its tag was coined from the 2000 cc engine that had an output of 240 horsepower. During that time, the horsepower per liter ratio of 123.5 was record breaking and was considered as very efficient.

Revisions were very minor to the next releases of the S2000 through the years. The 2004 released received a facelift with cosmetics to the body panels and reconfigured suspension system to decrease the potential oversteering.

In 2007 the Club Racer S2000 variant (photo above) was released and featured a removable hardtop. Its suspension was specifically designed to provide a smooth ride on the track.

Honda is also discontinuing the program for the Honda NSX / Acura NSX super car amid the global financial crisis. Some other plans of Honda were also shelved including the V8 programs, rear drive development, and the CR-Z.

The S2000 is marketed in 64 countries across the globe with about 110000 units sold. The S2000 of 2009 has a sticker of $35669.

The Japanese car maker is re-thinking its strategy and line of cars to mold their approach to market amid dwindling car sales around the globe.

Honda experienced an 18% drop of car sales in 2008. The December year over year performance was significantly lower by 35%. The tough times led to Honda’s decision of calling off the production of the NSX supercar scheduled to be out by 2010. The NSX super car was destined to have a V10 power plant in its engine bay.

A rear-driven Acura with a V8 engine was being designed by Honda to rival BMW. Plans of having this car by 2015 were also scrapped off. The V8 was seen as an unsuitable option because of the sky rocketing fuel prices.

Honda executives discloses that Honda will concentrate more on building more fuel efficient vehicles to better survive and deal with the current economic climate.

Other moves to mend the hard punch of the economic crisis include the following:

Honda decides to back out from F1 racing. This will enable them to cut on costs. This is a tough decision for the company since Honda has a long history in formula racing.

The new research and development center in Japan plus two other factories will not be opened soon. They are also delaying the release of new diesel fuels to the US and Japan. Company expansions to Turkey and India are also being delayed.

Salaries of the executives are also being trimmed by as much as 10%. Honda is expected to lay off around 450 people come February 2009.

Enjoy the photos, as soon as we have news and more pics we’ll let you know…

If that’s not beautiful, I don’t know what is. Great work, Masaki!