Even though new car sales may be in the toilet thanks to the global pandemic, the demand for showroom-quality examples of the Honda S2000 continues to be red hot. Case in point: this 1,300-mile 2008 S2000 CR that just sold on Bring a Trailer for an undoubtedly grand $76,500.
When it was new, this car held an MSRP of $36,935 after destination or just a little over $44,000 adjusting for inflation. As far as other pristine examples go, this yellow CR even beats that Graham Rahal-owned 2009 with 91 miles that went for $70,000 on-the-dot last year. And that one had fewer miles. And was newer. And was owned by an IndyCar driver. Wild.
Before you all accost the buyer for paying too much for a simple, non-celebrity-owned Honda with “just” 237 horsepower, though, there’s quite a lot here that justifies the price. First off, it’s a CR which not only added more aggressive steering, suspension, and aero but was also way rarer than the standard S2K. According to the listing and corroborated by this chart found on S2Ki, a total of 700 CR models existed in the U.S., just 140 of which were painted Rio Yellow Pearl.
Plus, even though it’s miles are low, it’s unlikely this is one of those garage queens that spent the last 12 years uncared for and, resultantly, it probably doesn’t need a bunch of work to get running properly again. This particular S2000 was apparently owned by the American Honda Motor Company itself before an employee took possession and sold it to the current seller in 2019, who apparently added just 60 miles to the odometer in the last eight months. In other words, it was owned by people who didn’t drive it much but probably knew what they were doing, maintenance-wise.
Does this make the Honda S2000 Bring a Trailer’s next high-dollar darling? Kinda looks that way. Are similarly well-kept examples gonna be selling for six figures on a regular basis in the near future? Maybe. Is the phenomenon going to peripherally pump up values of less prestigious, higher-mileage examples? For the sake of my retirement fund, hopefully.
Full disclosure: Now’s probably a good time to mention that I personally own a 2004 Honda S2000 but that has in no way influenced how I have chosen to approach this story. No, sir or ma’am. But if anyone is looking for a fun Japanese roadster and has, like, $50,000 burning a hole in their pocket, please don’t hesitate to call me at [REDACTED].
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