Honda S2000 AP1

Placed against 599 other cars in the Dream Car Garage catalogue, the Honda S2000 AP1 occupies an unusual position: its 240 bhp places it 548th for power, yet it asks for a used price of £25,000, ranking 551st. That contrast is the key to understanding this car. It is not selected because the numbers dominate the field, but because its character is defined by a combination that appears far less often elsewhere.

The S2000 AP1 is one of just 18 cars in the catalogue combining a naturally aspirated inline-4 engine with rear-wheel drive. That pairing is the detail that separates it from the wider collection of 600 cars. An inline-4 layout appears in 83 cars overall, while only 30 pair that engine layout with RWD. The Honda sits in a narrow category, using a 1,997 cc, 2.0 litre naturally aspirated engine to deliver 240 bhp and 208 Nm through rear-wheel drive.

Its straight-line figures explain why it does not rank highly against the full catalogue on outright performance. A 0-100 km/h time of 6.2 seconds places it 554th, faster than 46 cars, while its 241 km/h top speed ranks 537th. Those figures put the focus elsewhere. The S2000 AP1 is a two seater convertible from Japan, with a specification built around a particular mechanical formula rather than chasing the highest positions in broad performance tables.

The financial comparison tells a similar story. At £104 per bhp, it sits in a catalogue where its cost is not justified by the largest power output, but by the distinct place it occupies. Honda contributes eight cars to the collection, and the S2000 AP1 represents a specific interpretation of a sports car: a naturally aspirated, rear-wheel-drive, inline-4 convertible with a compact 2.0 litre engine.

A garage containing the S2000 AP1 looks different from one without it because it introduces a combination shared by only 22 cars in this catalogue. It is the choice for the collector who wants a two seater convertible with a defined mechanical identity alongside more conventionally ranked performers. With it, the garage gains a car that asks to be understood through its configuration, not just its position on a leaderboard. Without it, that particular balance of attributes is missing.