By Rawle Francis
Photography by Rawle Francis
Owner: showroom ride

Enter the perfect roadster.
I spent last Friday ripping up Omera Road in Arima with the first S2000 to land in Trinidad thanks to one of my “rollon-rolloff" clients KLY Auto Ltd. who now has the car up for grabs.

The S2000’s physical presence is much more dynamic than photos let on, forceful and masculine rather than soft and fuzzy. Its creased fenders, high beltline, and purposeful tyres create a taut presence. A low hoodline and flared-nostril headlamps give the front exceptional character; dual exhausts and a fillip above the trunk are eye-catching but are more conservative.

Inside, Spartan F1-like gauges (a digital half-moon bar tach arching over a large digital speed readout) are housed in an instrument panel curved intimately toward the driver. The aluminum shift knob is an effective invitation to snap the short stick around.

The S2000’s only conceit in this understated cabin is a large red push button on the far left of the dash, identified as ENGINE START. The racecar-inspired button, which you press after turning on the ignition with a regular old key, looks great but could get old after the initial amusement wears off. By the time I actually got to press that starter, I was in a high state of humor.

If you are considering purchasing an S2000 consider these:

• The compact, lightweight, all-aluminum 2.0-liter VTEC engine, they say, achieves the highest specific output--120 horse- power per liter--of any normally .phpirated production engine in history.
• The exhaust note was painstakingly orchestrated to approximate the blood-curdling whine and roar of a Formula 1 engine.
• The heaviest components (the engine, the transmission, and so on) are grouped behind the front axle to help achieve the S2000’s optimal 50/50 weight balance. All are extra compact, and the ultra-clean engine qualifies the S2000 as a bona fide LEV.
• Wind intrusion into the cabin was manipulated by changing the height and angle of the windshield pillars to “allow some wind in the face.”
• The powered top flies down in six seconds once its two windshield clips are released, twice as fast as an average Boxster.