http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/2571
Of all the people who might be expected to bolt a conspicuously large wing to the tail of an S2000, perhaps the least likely would be Honda itself. But there it sat in all its Smurf-blue glory at a small event on the eve of the New York auto show's opening day. It is the 2008 S2000 CR and its rear wing is in fact conspicuously large. Honda says that the special-edition S2000 contains no fluff — even the wing is functional. Honda says it produces a small amount of downforce at high speed. Likewise Honda says the little jowls at the lower corners of the nose reduce aerodynamic lift at speed. The company even claims some sort of aerodynamic purpose for the two new humps behind the seats' headrests. We suspect the real purpose is that Honda thinks all of this looks cool.
he CR amendment to the name stands for Club Racer and while the car make no more horsepower than a standard S2000, the company says it's faster around a racetrack. This is thanks, in part, to a weight loss of about 90 pounds. The company ditched the soft top. (A removable aluminum hard top comes standard.) Where the soft top would be stowed is a new structural element that stiffens the car's structure. The company has also retuned the suspension with stiffer springs and dampers and fatter antiroll bars. The CR carries unique 17-inch wheels with near-race-slick Bridgestone Potenza RE070 tires. Those, incidentally, are the exact same tires that the company put on the NSX Type-R. The CR carries a quicker steering ratio than the standard S2000, has grippy (and yellow) fabric-covered seats in place of leather and a shorter shifter lever with shorter throws for the standard six-speed manual transmission.
The company says it will build 2,000 CRs per year. They go on sale this fall for an unspecified price. And you don't have to get it in the crazy blue pictured here. Unfortunately, the wing is mandatory. — Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit
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