Honda S2000

YEAR 1999-2009 PRICE £7500-£25,000

The Honda S2000 hails from a time when big power was hard to come by. Its naturally aspirated four-cylinder motor, codenamed F20C, employs all manner of exotic hardware and motorsport-derived trickery that allows it to rev to 9000rpm. The VTEC system engages the higher-lift cams at 6000rpm, at which point the engine explodes into serrated, ear-splitting life. The result is a peak of 237bhp – enormous for a normally aspirated 2.0-litre – with torque at a somewhat skinny 155lb ft.

These were the measures engine designers had to resort to in the late 1990s. Two decades later, big power comes easily; turbocharging, now so refined and reliable, is ubiquitous, and 9000rpm redlines are saved for high-end sports cars only. Starting at less than £8000, the S2000 serves up the ferocious power delivery of a Porsche 911 GT3 but at a fraction of the cost. Values are on the rise too.

The S2000 is an exciting and involving car to drive, but it’s far from perfect. The seating position is odd, and the spiky handling and lack of traction control (on earlier cars, at least) have seen many S2000s backed through hedgerows or wrapped around lamp posts. From 2004, the chassis set-up was revised with softer springs and anti-roll bars in an effort to tame the handling, while traction control became an option in 2006.

Naturally, an engine as highly strung as the F20C demands care and attention. The oil should be changed every six months or 6000 miles and it can burn through the stuff at a rate of one litre every 1000 miles. If you suspect the seller hasn’t kept on top of oil changes, walk away. Find a good car, though, and it will be worth more in a year than it is today.