One of the major claims to fame of Honda's wonderful little S2000 roadster is that it boasts the highest specific output of any production car manufactured-- more than 120 horsepower per liter (240hp/1.997 liters = 120.18). The VTEC system mentioned above switches to the higher lift, longer duration cams at 6,000 rpm.
The handling is beyond belief as well. Since most of the engine is behind the front wheels, the car achieves a perfect 50/50 weight distribution, a feat not even mid-engined cars manage to pull off. This, coupled with the excellent Bridgestone Potenza S-02 tires, translates to truly impressive grip. It generates 0.91g of lateral acceleration on the skidpad, right up there with the world's finest sports cars.
The brakes are incredible, too-- its braking distance is a mere 114 feet from 60mph to 0mph. Not a single Ferrari or Porsche can beat that.
The S2000 is assembled by hand in a factory in Tochigi, Japan, right alongside its elder sibling the Acura NSX. It is affectionately referred to as the "baby NSX". Since it is hand built, its production numbers are limited-- just 15,000 per year, of which the U.S.A. only gets 5,000.
The S2000 annihilates Porsche Boxsters and the M and Z-series BMW roadsters in both the speed and handling departments. And it costs about US$20,000 less than the Boxster or the BMW M-series. It is comparably priced with the cheapest Z3, with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of about US$32,000.
Because of its hand built nature and its limited availability, Honda offers no factory options-- the few available options are installed by the dealer, although the car comes with virtually everything you could want straight from the factory.
For 2000, its first model year, only four colors were available: Red, White, Silver, and Black. For 2001, I think they are also offering Yellow. Quite possibly the greatest car ever produced, words cannot describe how much fun this car is to drive.