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Honda Sets Worldwide Debut of S2000 Roadster

4 December 1998

Honda Sets Worldwide Debut of S2000 Roadster for Greater Los Angeles Auto Show HONDA S2000 S2000. (PR NewsFoto)[AS] TORRANCE, CA USA 12/03/1998    

    TORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 3 -- The worldwide debut of the new
Honda S2000 roadster will take place December 29 at a press conference prior
to the public opening of the 1998 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, American
Honda Motor Co., Inc. announced today.  The S2000 prototype will be on display
from Jan. 2 - 10 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
    (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19981203/LATH055 )
    The S2000's all-new 2.0-liter DOHC VTEC direct-injection 4-cylinder engine
draws on engineering experience gained from Honda's racing accomplishments
such as Formula One, CART and motorcycle racing.  The high-revving engine puts
out 240 horsepower, or 120 horsepower per liter -- more than any other mass-
produced normally aspirated engine on the market, while also meeting
California's stringent low-emission vehicle (LEV) standards.
    "The S2000 is a high-tech, high-performance roadster that will capture the
hearts and invigorate the spirits of driving enthusiasts around the world,"
said Tom Elliott, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
"And there is no better place to introduce the S2000 than here in Southern
California, the sports car capitol of the U.S. and home to some of the most
exhilarating top-down roads in the world."
    The S2000 designation refers to the 2.0-liter displacement, not the model
year in which it will go on sale in North America, Japan, Europe and Asia.  It
will be produced in limited numbers at Honda's Takanezawa plant in Tochigi,
Japan where the Acura NSX is built.  Chief engineer Shigeru Uehara, project
leader of the NSX, is also responsible for the S2000.
    The S2000 is scheduled for a 1999 release in the U.S. as a year 2000
model.