Arguably the most beloved Japanese sports car of this millennium, the Honda S2000 is the yardstick for ‘most any driving enthusiast. Essentially, it stood as the pinnacle of affordable performance when it was released nearly two decades ago. While part of that sentiment remains with a recently listed example on Bring a Trailer, the “affordable” bit has been flushed away courtesy of its unbelievably mint condition and 91-mile history—so much so, in fact, that bidding has already reached $50,000 with five days of the auction still to go.
Owned by renowned S2K-fanboy and IndyCar driver Graham Rahal, this museum-quality piece was built in the car’s final model year of 2009. Because of that, it retains its Honda factory warranty through April of this year. This car, classified as an AP2-gen model, has never even been titled meaning that it’s as close to brand-new as you’ll find anywhere in the world.
And the shape it’s in reflects that. No swirl marks are to be found on the Honda’s factory black paint, nor are there any imperfections in the interior to place under a microscope. It also boasts a spotless engine bay housing a 2.2-liter F22C powerplant which makes 237 horsepower and revs to over 8,000 rpm. A six-speed manual gearbox is fitted in true petrolhead fashion as it was the only transmission offered by Honda in the S2000.
Market inspection shows that this is, unsurprisingly, the most expensive S2K up for grabs. But it should be given its impeccable history and spotless record.
While it’s doubtful that this car will ever be turned into a road-going machine, we’re happy to appreciate the legend for what it is. It’ll (hopefully) end up in a collector’s airplane hangar along with other engineering marvels, and if you think these cars were made exclusively to be driven, try out this 305,000-mile S2K listed for sale on Autotrader.