27 years ago, Honda released the S2000 as a tribute to their S600 and S800 models from the ’60s. Shortly after that, the high-revving, fun and highly engaging vehicle gained huge noteriety in the JDM scene just as tuner culture was taking off. It didn’t have the same amount of brute force compared to the R34 GT-R, but what it did have was poise and exceptional balance. This put it amongst some truly elite company such as the FD RX-7, which followed an almost identical recipe and more expensive stuff like the E36 M3. Powerhouse Amuse saw the potential and after releasing a handful of tamer packages, they created their magnum opus – the “GT1” kit. It transformed the S2000 into a JGTC-inspired race car for the street, resulting in an instant show-stopper.
This wild kit was created long before widebodies became all the rage about a decade ago. Amuse were ahead of the game, and the efforts made show that the parts had some actual thought put into them. Lessons learnt from their extreme “Carbon R” went into the aero development for this car, cutting up the chassis to create channels of air for real downforce. The nose is lengthened considerably to smooth the airflow over the bonnet, whilst the massive front splitter and canard assembly channel the airflow around and below the car. Immediately behind the front wheels you will see a cutout in the sideskirt which is curved inward, and behind that a vent designed to throw hot air out of the guard. If you look inside this tall vent, you will see the tyre and daylight because the inner guard has been removed. The modification is more than skin deep.
The rear end is given some proper attention too, with the gargantuan wing taking centre stage. It’s almost as wide as the car itself and sits really high like a modern GT3 racer. Only full on time attack machines have bigger wings. Of course, like the front, vents are cut out for air flow and heat dissipation. Under the rear bumper you will see two massive “bazooka” exhausts and a steeply curved diffuser accompanied by aero pieces guiding tyre “squirt” straight out the back. I don’t think this car has a flat floor, but that’s OK because on the street it’d get completely wrecked. Unfortunately, the vents directly above the diffuser don’t function.
White is not a colour I would naturally go for, but I do prefer it over black because it’s not dark. The curious thing about the white on this car is that it’s a pearl finish rather than a good-old fashioned gloss, thus adding some extra spice. It does look neat under the right lighting. To compliment this, the car is fitted with some white TE37s that always look good in my mind. White wheels are great because the offer superb contrast to the black tyres, allowing you to properly see the spoke pattern. Black wheels just blend in and I don’t really like that.
I honestly do feel like I repeat myself too frequently when describing cars. I use the words special and balanced when talking about the feeling that comes through the steering wheel a lot. Maybe it is laziness but I don’t think that’s an accurate summary by any means. The people that know me understand how seriously I take this project – I never mince words and I always try to be sincere. Goodness, I suppose I’m going off on my own tangent but I want to make my feelings clear because the Amuse S2000 GT1 is a genuinely special car that doesn’t come out very often. Who cares if it isn’t the fastest thing in the world, the prescence that comes with this car can only be rivaled by the most extreme RWB kits. The whole thing is expertly crafted to make a statement; to make people giddy and generate positive discussion about the allure of cars and the wide range of emotions that come with it.
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