Honda S2000 AP2

The Honda S2000 AP2 begins with an unusual position in a 600-car catalogue: its closest comparison is not another broad sports car, but the small group of 30 cars that combine an inline-4 engine layout with rear-wheel drive. That pairing sits at the heart of what separates this car from the rest of the collection. The S2000 AP2 is not defined by having the highest headline figures here, with its 240 bhp placing it 548th of 600 for power and its 0 to 100 km/h time of 6.2 seconds placing it 554th. Instead, it represents a particular engineering choice that appears in only 30 cars in the catalogue.

That choice is a naturally aspirated inline-4 with rear-wheel drive in a two-seater convertible body. The formula is unusual within the 600 cars, with just 22 naturally aspirated inline-4 cars and 30 inline-4 rear-wheel-drive cars represented. The S2000 AP2 brings that layout together with a 2,157 cc, 2.2-litre engine producing 240 bhp and 220 Nm of torque. Its top speed of 250 km/h places it 414th overall, showing a car whose appeal is not built around dominating every metric, but around the character of its specification.

At a used price of £30,000, the S2000 AP2 sits at 525th of 600, meaning it is more expensive than 75 cars in the catalogue. Its cost per bhp is £125, a figure that reinforces that this is not a purchase made simply by chasing maximum output. The appeal lies in the combination of rear-wheel drive, naturally aspirated power and a compact convertible format. Honda’s place in the catalogue is also selective, with eight cars represented from a manufacturer founded in Japan in 1948, while Japan contributes 48 cars across the collection.

The S2000 AP2 occupies a specific corner of a dream garage. It brings together a combination shared by only a small number of catalogue cars, while offering figures that sit away from the top of the performance rankings. For a collector deciding between outright speed and a more focused mechanical idea, the final judgement is personal. The question is whether this balance of layout, size and character is the ingredient that makes a garage feel more considered.