For its 10-year run, the Honda S2000 has garnered a following all over the world. With more than 100,000 units sold within a decade, you can easily find fans of the Honda roadster even at your local car meet. You can thank the S2000's pop culture involvement for that.
Much of the S2000's fame came from the exciting, open-top driving experience and VTEC power. But can you imagine a Honda S2000 that's built for the electric era? Ryan of Rywire Motorsport Electronics did so, and he had to summon the help of Tesla to complete the package. If you're a purist, you might want to look away.
Ryan specializes in making neat builds of Japanese cars that Hoonigan has featured before, but he hasn't really dipped his toes in building EVs. That's the goal with this Honda S2000 EV build.
To begin so, Ryan had to customize the front end to make it look different even at just first glance. Upon consulting with his peers, he was able to make a bumper that's somehow reminiscent of the Volkswagen ID range.
Will The S2000 Ever Return to The Limelight?
Next, the wheels. Ryan had to fabricate a set of aero wheels to complete the EV look. For what it's worth, we think they look fantastic, especially considering the non-symmetrical design that's somehow made balanced by Ryan and his team.
And then, of course, the powertrain. Motivated by a Tesla drive unit, this electric S2000 makes around 500 horsepower. The rear-mounted electric motor draws juice from a rather small battery pack. Specifically, two Chevy Volt battery packs for a total capacity of 38 kWh. The result is a range of up to 120 miles, which isn't too shabby if only for daily use.
There are other impressive modifications for this electric S2000 to work, including complicated electronics dealt with by Ryan himself. He aims to daily this car to gather data for his next EV build so if you're interested, Rywire Motorsport Electronics should be able to build one for you – even better than this clean-looking S2000 EV revival.
Source: Hoonigan via YouTube