very nice tidy car but for that price range i would be tening toward a NISSAN gtr

Hmm, I don't know why it is that the S2000 is the perenial favorite of auto journalists here in the states. They gush over the revvy motor and snick-snack 6spd, etc. Just keep the revs up, they say. The reality is it's a great track car. I just wouldn't want it as my daily driver, and neither would the auto journalists, too, I bet. Also, never understood the high price, either.

HONDA [gag, choke]?? B..B..But it's not Datsun. Booooo Hissssss
Lets face it blokes, for $70,000Au i think that many of us could make our little Datsun's perform well. Very bloody well. Perhaps if we regard these non Datsun cars as a rich source of parts for future conversions, then they may have some real value to us.

I'm sure that these Hon-whatchamacallits are very nice & go faster than i can drive, but are well out of my price range & must therefore be relegated to the "don't bother thinking about it" file.
Chris

I agree that an S2000 might be off topic for a Datsun sight. Here's some food for thought. I presently work @ a Honda dealership here in Canada. The S2000 has some pretty impressive stuff in it.They're hand built at the same plant as the NSX. 240bhp @ 9,000 rpms, is the most bhp per liter,(120bhp per litre) ever put out by a stock, normally aspirated passenger car engine. The 6 speed trans. is really special. The output shaft is not directly connected to the trans ouput. The output is underdriven to another shaft below it (which then connects to the driveshaft). This allows two large bearings to support power output @ the end of the extension housing. I think that it would be a great transmission to adapt to an A-series in a Datsun 1200, It's very light & would be very difficult to break, both drag racing & road racing.
As far as Honda in general, The S2000 is the only fun car that they offer, Nissan has a much more youth/performance related product line.
I may work on Honda's, but would much rather go for a drive in my 1200 coupe than anything honda sells right now.

A few years back, I was lucky enough to be invited to a Honda track day at Lakeside as a driving instructor. I got to drive a bunch of S2000's and Integra Type R's , but couldn't convince the only NSX driver who turned up to come out on the track

Let me assure you, the S2000 is not slow! They are pretty bloody impressive in a straight line, but the suspension is definitely more biased towards comfort than outright sporting ability. They handle very well, but are just a little soft IMHO. Then again - the racetrack really highlights that kind of thing - they probably feel alot sportier on the road while still being quite comfortable. But definitely not as sharp on the track as the fwd Type R.

They are a b*tch to climb in and out of though - but maybe that was just an excuse to stay in there? Oh yeah, beautiful shift action too, with a nice short throw stick. But I hate the digital dash - something that revs that high deserves a proper analogue needle to really be appreciated... All in all, I like them. They're a bloddy impressive thing for an off-the-shelf, mass produced car. And really didn't show any major defficiencies on the racetrack.

He means $ 70,000 AUS.
S2000s are overrated, they are a very pretty car but they are slow.
In Australia there are several cars for the money and less that are better sports cars.

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they're approximately $33,000. i was just curious how all the other proud datsun owners felt about them. i have one and i love it, its the best handling car ive ever driven. 1200rallycar is right, its barely faster than an rsx or something until 6200rpm, then it shoots like a rocket all the way to 9000 rpm. im impressed by the high power out of a 2.0l 4 cyl. you guys heard they're putting a 2.2l in next year with a lower red line and the SAME power? the people at honda are dumb. dont think im taking this car over the datsun, its going to be faster soon and i still love it very much

from what i heard, not experience

the new honda motors drive like a turbo motor anyway, they have very low power until the VVT or whatever is is on hondas kicks in and then they push you back in the seat

and from what i also have heard, pretty much the media loves and raves about em, but people who have driven them for a while are not so happy with them

If you want a modern practical convertable, it really comes down to an S2000, a Boxter or a Z4. The S2000 is alot cheaper and will do everything else as well as the other two except luging at low revs, and the wank factor of the german brands.

Interior is ruined by the digital dash.

Best factory NA motor other than the BMW 3.2 6.

Not sure what its got to do with Datsun 1200s though

the best n/a factory engine ever. very twichy and the sixth gear is more of a gimic than a necessity. the red START button is very cool. very nice car to drive.