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2000 Vortech Honda S2000
By: Drew Phillips
Drew Phillips
August 15, 2006

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It seems these sorts of things all start the same. It’s love at first sight – lean and trim with a beautiful body, gorgeous lines, and look at those curves! A joyous union occurs and things are great…for a while. Then after a few months, things start to get a bit stale. There’s a need for more…as it was with Phil Wade and his beloved Honda S2000 that he fell in love with six years ago. Phil first spotted the S2000 while shopping for his wife’s car at a Honda dealership. He bought it on the spot. It was that same voice inside his head that makes the rest of us car nuts go crazy when we see a car we want: “buy me!” Unfortunately, that same voice didn’t stop after he bought the car. Phil’s car enthusiast instincts wanted more from the car – lighter, faster, more power! It’s that disease that we try to stay away from but don’t want to give up – the never-ending desire to personalize, modify, and upgrade our cars, and Phil’s got it bad – perhaps worse than anyone.

The symptoms started a few months after Phil had purchased the car. It started with a Comptech aluminum strut tower bar (no longer on the car). Tinkering under the hood didn’t stop, as Phil began polishing bits and pieces of aluminum throughout the car like the intake manifold, valve cover, and fuel rail. He even went so far as to polish the oil pan and differential cover! Little by little he personalized the car, improving the appearance as well as the performance. Power-boosting parts also started to make their way onto the car starting with a cold air intake. Serious power increases came after Phil installed a Vortech supercharger that brought the car up to 361 rwhp. Still not satisfied at having one of the fastest S2000’s in the country, he added a smaller ASP Billet supercharger pulley, larger fuel injectors, Toda stainless steel headers, ported and polished heads, and an Amuse stainless steel exhaust. All of this is controlled with an AEM Total Engine Management System. When all is accounted for, Phil’s S2000 now puts out 450 rwhp and 265 lb-ft torque.

Keeping the power in check, Wade drilled the stock brakes and added racing pads, stainless steel brake lines, and Motul 600 brake fluid. A Comptech adjustable sway bar sharpens the handling, as do the Toyo Racing tires, 235/45/17 front and 275/40/17 rear. Lightweight Volk Racing LE28 wheels replace the stock set.

Exterior modifications are minimal and subtle with most of the changes focusing on the performance of the car. A custom stainless steel grill and painted taillights are the only exterior upgrades. On the inside, boost and temperature gauges are the only difference from a stock S2000, although a racing seat is occasionally installed. That’s not to say anyone will underestimate the car. The legend of Phil’s S2000 has spread throughout the S2000 and Southern California car communities. The abundant number of Ferrari owners in SoCal look the other way at stop lights, and other exotic car owners aware of the car’s performance seem hesitant to put their car’s reputation on the line – probably the best decision for anyone owning an Italian car not wanting to be embarrassed by a lowly Honda! Having been in the car and felt how hard it can pull, I can attest that this car can pump as much or more adrenaline into your veins as any other car out there. The acceleration leaves your neck straining, fighting to not be pressed against the seat, and the sound of the open cockpit and ferocious exhaust fill your ears.

As always, Phil isn’t quite done with the car. He is in the process of working with exhaust specialist Jack Burns to develop an exhaust system for supercharged S2000’s. Obviously, he’s still inflicted with the disease. However, he is doing his part to keep it from happening to others. Phil frequently recommends that other owners stay away from modifying their cars because once they start they won’t stop. He wishes someone would have given him that advice, although deep down he probably wouldn’t have it any other way.