The Story Behind Ger Reyes’ Wide-Body Honda S2000
Like most things in life, there are little leagues, and then there are the big leagues. Guess which one Ger Reyes’ S2000 belongs to?
A few weeks back I had the awesome opportunity of meeting Gerbie Reyes, commonly referred to as “Ger,” and his wife Kathy. The meeting was in one way or another arranged by Matthieu Picard from Napcar Photography in Indianapolis, Indiana. And let’s just say that I really owe him a big one.
You might be thinking it’s because of his outrageous Honda S2000 with an ultra-exclusive M&M Honda Racing Hyper wide body. But no, despite being intrigued about the Ger’s car, I was intrigued about the story behind it. After all, a build this special isn’t the outcome of a weekend project — no, it typically has a very special meaning.
The Beginning
After writing off the opportunity to experience his S2000 due to torrential rain, I sat down with Ger to ask him a few questions about the build. What began as a simple “tell me about this,” and “what do you think about that?” turned into a 90-minute chat.
According to Ger, it all started in 2014 when he decided to get back into building cars. Yes — I said back — because Ger had previously built some serious machinery, including a 1998 Mitsubishi GTS, and an ’06 Mitsubishi EVO MR. Following a period of time in which he and his family devoted themselves a church ministry, the decision to build another project car was made, but this time it was for a special purpose.
“I want to impact people, especially the youth, and show them that through hard work and dedication, and love, one can accomplish whatever they want,” said Reyes. In case you’re wondering, Ger is a youth or “young adult” pastor at a church, and he believes that project cars endure a journey similar to what people go through.
“There is an opportunity for the tired, the used and the abused. It’s all about giving them new life, and working from the core (the heart) to the outside,” he said. He must’ve repeated the “work from the inside out” phrase about five or six times, meaning that his entire S2000 was built around the engine, just like a person’s spiritual journey was dictated by what’s found inside their heart.
In 2014 Ger found a two-owner, 2001 Honda S2000 with roughly 65,000 miles, and he knew it was his chance to begin a build the right way — from the heart.
A Power-House in Every Way
Ger and his S2000 have gone as far as winning the 2016 Tuner Battlegrounds, taken the spotlight at SEMA, and even built a large social media-following in a short amount of time. This is a large accomplishment by any standards, but even more from someone who thought had given up on tuning, and didn’t know what a hashtag was.
Despite the fact that the street in front of my house (where Ger had parked his Toyota Tundra that towed his S2000) was beginning to flood, we ventured outside for a quick walk-around of the car. Of course, one doesn’t need to look too closely to realize how choice the whole thing is.
Under the hood is a plethora of high-end components, but more noticeably a CT Engineering 1200 supercharger and air intake, an Ultimate Racing Intercooler, and several Science of Speed internal bits. The outside is dressed with the delicious M&M Honda Racing Hyper wide body, a Seibon carbon fiber Mugen hood, a Mugen hard top, and a not so discreet rear wing sporting Garage 106 on it. The entire thing (for the exception of the hood and wing) have been painted in a sleek Avalanche Gray paint from a Ford Shelby Mustang.
According to Ger and several other sources, the S2000 produces 370 horsepower at the rear wheels, and 233 lb-ft of torque. For a complete and detailed list of parts, you can check out this PASMAG feature.
The Journey Continues
What initially began as a conversation about cars quickly turned into everything but. Ger’s dedication to his spiritual mission, his family, and his S2000 is nothing short of inspirational.
Lastly, Ger shared with me one thing that (much to his surprise) no one’s ever asked him about: the meaning of his “1802JC” custom license plate. Needless to say, the answer made me like the guy even more. Just as we wrapped up, he shared his plans for the next day, which included the 2017 Wekfest in Chicago. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes, he won “Best S2000” there, too.
Godspeed!
Follow:
- Ger Reyes: @gersmms2k
- Matt Picard: @napcarphotography
