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Honda S2000 LM Race Car
Another S2000, I know. Annoying, isn't it? Sorry.
Honda S2000 LM Race Car
Specs
Power: 331bhp
Weight: 1050kg
PP: 501
0-60: 3.888 seconds
0-100: 9.018 seconds
1/4 mile: 12.311 seconds
1 mile: 31.102 seconds
Max Speed: 172.0mph
Max G-Force: 0.92G
Drivetrain: FR
If calculations are correct, this is now the 5th S2000 I have reviewed. This goes in among the ranks of the AEM S2000, which was fast, but not that fast, the Amuse S2000 R1, which was a disappointment, the Amuse S2000 GT1 Turbo, which was killed by me, and the Opera Performance S2000, which was more than likely the best of all the S2000s in the game.
This is the S2000 LM, and this time it is actually 'made' by the company it came from, Honda. Except Honda didn't actually 'make' it. It's an LM, which means Gran Turismo were more likely the ones that really made it. All in all, I can confidently say this is a Honda Gran Turismo S2000. Sort of like a Gran Turismo Skyline GT-R, for the S2000. But then, every LM car would be as such, and that would be disservice. So S2000 LM it is then.
Now, let's actually get on to seeing how the damn thing moves.
And it moves very well. 331bhp is a decent chunk in any car, and since it only has to haul 1050kg of car, it makes it move even better. You wouldn't expect to get 3.8 second 0-60 times in a normal S2000, that's for sure. And despite the remotely low torque figure it has, the car will still haul on to a top speed of 172. Not bad for something that has to manage 12000rpm on occasion.
And on the subject of the engine, it sounds brilliant. It's a lovely, trancy, classic Honda buzz that never fails to annoy or alarm. There are jazz songs less smooth than the sound of this engine. It sounds best in bumper view, really, since there you can't even hear the transmission - which itself will go to high levels of whine with the 12000rpm it gets with its VTEC (switched on, yes) engine.
Now for cornering and I have to say this. If the Opera S2000 is built to slide and deliver a smile, then the S2000 LM is the one built to grip to the road like glue. The only way this thing will ever let go of the road is if you floor it while hitting a kerb, and even then you only ever notice the slightest slide. The handling itself isn't perfect, but it does get round the corners at extremely high speeds.
And now we've concluded that the S2000 LM is brilliant to drive, with the smooth VTEC (activated, yes) engine, the super grippy handling and the pretty good onboard view I haven't mentioned till now, it's time for a history lesson.
This here, is the Gran Turismo 3 version of the Honda S2000 LM. I know, doesn't look much different, does it? (Paintjob aside, that's just what it happens to be in, and you can also get one with pink sides in this game ).
However, don't be fooled. Because this car, despite the similarities in looks today, had 600hp.
Now, I know what you're thinking. You know me and the Amuse S2000 GT1 Turbo by now. And if you don't, you should. You know I think it is a horrifically overpowered, overextracted version of an S2000. You know I hate it with every fiber of my being. And that's all because it is too dissimilar to an S2000, since it has 600hp too.
You might be thinking a similar rule would apply to this GT3 S2000 LM. Not so. Because, the thing is, unlike the S2000 GT1 Turbo, which has had a body that was probably more dealt with by Photoshop, this S2000 LM had not too much change to itself in terms of the body. And it still made 600hp. And get this. Because of the OTT ways of GT3s tuning, you could get one of these to 900hp. And yet it still looks remotely like a normal S2000. You couldn't get an S2000 GT1 Turbo to that number either.
Of course, the S2000 LM has been downgraded since then to nearly half that HP and is nowhere near as fast. But whatever. Every LM has had that treatment since GT4 and moved over to faster, more recognisable LMs. But really. If you are an Amuse S2000 GT1 Turbo fan, here's a tip. Take GT5 out of the PS3, put GT3 into a PS2, find this, and watch as I lol in your face for loving the damn thing. I know it might not be in GT5, but it's still GT. Good enough for me.
So there you have it. The Honda S2000 LM Race Car. Fast, smooth, grippy, good looking and renders the Amuse S2000 GT1 Turbo completely pointless.
Final Score: 16/20
Pictures and writing by C-ZETA