Joshua’s S2000 | A Long Time Coming

I’ve known Josh for just over three years. When I purchased my first S2000 his original build was an inspiration and direction for my AP1.5.

The colour with the right environment, this was a great shoot. All photos by @fmzvisuals.

In fact, so much so that my first interaction with him was to lowball him for an AP2 front lip (sorry!). I ended up getting it after buckling and offering him his actual asking price (can’t be a proper Honda experience without learning how to offer below the asking price…), but after seeing his build in person it was evidently clear that his approach is all about quality.

A couple years go by, I sell my first S2000, grab an Evo but jump straight back into my 2nd S2K after just six months. Once again Josh’s car becomes a reference point for how to build.

I’m unsure of how I ended up seeing his car in the flesh again, but in that time the car had been through some significant updates, and it became a wonder for me as to why nobody had taken the opportunity to shoot and talk about 88JLM.

Such a clean rear end. Peep Peter’s EP3 in the reflection…

Angle Park combined with the colour and autumn season led to some amazing shots by Peter. Rio Yellow was the big cosmetic change, it’s evident why he chose a new shade of yellow as opposed to keeping an AP1 hue.

All of this to enhance the driving experience. S2000s are incredibly engaging with the right mods!

The crazy thing is that Josh has owned this car for eight years. In a day and age of instant gratification, along with being part of a generation that thrives on microwave culture, Josh bought and built his car over nearly a decade to what it is today.

“I didn’t even want an S2000, it was supposed to be a DC2R.” Josh remembers. Moving to Honda vehicles was the logical step from two-wheelers to four, I did the same myself when I purchased my first “real” car.

“This is my track set up”, but all of us would make any excuse to keep it on the street…

He had been driving his mate’s sister’s S2000 here and there, and when mulling over his next purchase, a wise family uncle told him, “just buy an S2000”.

“That was that” Josh describes his super difficult decision making process. Finding an S2000 back in the early 2010s in good condition, at a reasonable price was a very different proposition to the minefield that is today’s market.

BBK is the only foreseeable future upgrade for Josh, “I’m sick of swapping pads so often”.

What I love about his approach was that he didn’t just throw all his money into building a finished article as soon as possible. The car was imperfect to him over the years, and he slowly added when he felt it was necessary to build on what he had. Car growth mirroring life growth.

“It’s hard to not have what you want on the car when you’ve owned the car for 8 years” Josh says. Modifying was something that he always loved doing, it’s a form of expression and tailoring a vehicle to your specific needs. For Josh, it began with Nasho runs, but once he rolled out for his first track session all his attention and efforts were placed into the fastest circuit times.

Josh runs a Haltech with c. 150KW at the wheels but for the most part, his engine is stock.

1.08 around Wakefield in an N/A S2000 is nothing to scoff at, you can say mission accomplished.

With no plans to go forced induction in the near future, the only thing left is a BBK kit to increase the lifespan of his pads. As much as I wanted to boost my AP1s, it was motivated by other vehicles, rather than the want of dialling in the great chassis and engine that I already had.

Josh on the other hand, he just wants to make sure he maximises fun, as much as possible…

Not too much, not too little, just the right amount of flavour…

Selective on his parts choices, clear on his build philosophy (OEM+) and building with bits that enhance the driving experience, rather than outright performance, you can call Josh a purist. That’s what makes this build so special.

SPECIAL THANKS