15 Years with the Sun Bucket
Sorry for the lack of posts in the past couple months. Things have begun ramping up in my life that Infamous has been the only person in the IJ tower cranking out whatever it is he cranks out on Import Junkiez. I have been spending my time running around getting married as well as preparing to have a baby. Yes, its like I woke up one day and said, "Today, I think I'll go make me a family." Little did I know that would entail a lot of changes. For instance, gone are the days of spontaneously jumping on a plane enroute to destinations around the world or those weekends filled with grinding out video games on no sleep.
Yet, one thing that I may have a harder time departing with is my 1995 Honda del Sol, a.k.a. Buddy the del Sol. We have been inseperable since the day we drove off the lot of Gardena Honda. There was little doubt what kind of car I'd be driving once I finally bounced out of high school and right into college. At the time, my dad had a '76 Civic, my mom with the '85 Accord, the brother with a '90 Civic followed by the sister with the '92 Prelude. So it was inevitable I'd be getting a Honda. In an effort to differentiate from the flood of Civic coupes, hatches and sedans overflowing the high school parking lots of Southern California, I settled for the awesomest little car Honda made for $15k out the door. It was so awesome that I was stopped at a gas station to be asked if it was a new Porsche. Yikes, dude must've been blind. "Honda? Really? $15k OTD? Wow. del Sol..." Is all the guy could say.
S2000 in the Snow
Snow is something we normally do not see in Southern California - well, the most we see is whatever sticks to the mountains outside the LA Basin. I do know, that most Angelenos haven't even touched the stuff and often think of it as some magical piece of nature. So, like a normal LA guy, I have to say, "Ooooh SNOW!" at these pics Tom Olesnevich posted after the snow storm that rolled on through the East Coast this past weekend.
After the storm let up, he took to the road to see what the damage was...in the s2000. I know right? lol. I get angry at the skies if it rains on the S2! Anyway, head over to Tom's blog for the full photo set. Some good stuff there.
[Tom Olesnevich via Jalopnik]
Goodbye S2000
01/26/2009 - TORRANCE, Calif. -
The 2009 Honda S2000 will be the final model year produced of the award-winning roadster, Honda announced today. First introduced in 1999 for the 2000 model year, the S2000 helped define its segment with class-leading handling, engine technology and value. Originally envisioned as a limited-edition tribute to Honda's 50th anniversary, S2000 production was extended in response to customer demand and critical acclaim.
"The S2000 is a sports car designed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "It raised the bar for all future roadsters, and it's already considered a classic by many Honda fans."
As a true sports car that can serve as a practical and fun daily driver yet feel equally at home on a racetrack, this concept further evolved with a club racer-inspired S2000 CR trim, first offered in the 2008 model year. The S2000 has been honored with multiple awards through the years, including four appearances on Car and Driver Magazine's coveted "10-Best" list.
The S2000 is sold in 64 countries around the world with cumulative world-wide sales of over 110,000 since its introduction in 1999. Over 65,000 S2000s have been sold in the United States since 1999.
It comes as no surprise that Honda has decided to end production of the S2000. When the first one came off the line in 1999, Honda had repeatedly stated that the vehicle would be a limited run model. Yet the demand for the car had kept it in production for about 10 years. With declining demand and a worsening global economy something had to give at Honda and it was not going to be the gas sipping Hybrids, NGVs, or Hydrogen cars. Hopefully things would look up for Honda whenever this economy takes a turn.
My Baby Is Back Home…
So, I've pretty much gone a month without having updated the site. For that I'm really sorry, I wish I could spend more time doing the stuff I want to do with the site. Then again, this is all just out of my spare time and this month I just felt I had none. =( I've been splitting my time at work between two locations and both are constantly on me so much that when I get home, I just don't want to do anything else but sleep. Then when the weekend hits, I'm off to another birthday party or going away party or "friends are in town, let's go party" party. So I've been running back and forth between here and there with little time spent online for most of the month. Anyhow, the good thing out of this month is that I finally got my car back. Yup, the S2K was in the shop for warranty work...apparently my car threw a CEL a couple weeks ago: low compression in the 2,3, & 4 cylinder. The culprit - a bent valve. Sucked. This car made driving so much fun that I'm glad it finally came back because I was really depressed when it came to driving. In honor of the return of my beloved S2K, Here's a fun S2K video with Tsuchiya behind the wheel...its another drift comparo between the S2K, RX7, and Silvia.
Honda Homecoming
It really brings a tear to my eye. Hundreds of S2Ks lined up at Honda's Torrance Headquarters along with a personal appearance of Shigeru Uehara himself? The father of the NSX and S2000?! MAN...would I die for him to sign my radio cover. LOL. Here's the S2Ki thread with all the pics and what not of the event. Looked like fun. Even an S600 and the S2000 CR were present. And free BBQ?...*sigh* sometimes working on Saturdays sucks.
I Love My S2K
Straight from my RSS Reader are shots of the 2008 S2Ks...so why not post them for all to see?
Hit the split for more...and some words from Honda!
Heading Home to Honda
This is a rare treat indeed! For all you S2K owners out there, including me, you might want to check out this little event to occur at Honda Headquarters in Torrance, CA. To gain entrance into the hallowed grounds of Honda all you need is an S2K to get in. That's right, no S2K, no entrance for you...unless you happen to be a passenger. Inside the forbidden city you will find the new 2008 Honda S2000 CR. Yup, the big snow plow nose of a car will be there for viewing. The free event will be on September 8th and will also be part BBQ/meet with giveaways! Hundreds of owners have already committed to go so make sure to register online at Honda! [Honda Homecoming!]