Would You Swap Your S2000 for a K24-Enhanced Miata?
Honda K24-powered Mazda Miata is the new Japanese hot rod combo.
The S2000 is the best Honda S roadster ever made. It’s got rear-wheel drive. It has a lovely 2.0-liter (or 2.2-liter, depending on the generation) inline-four with VTEC up front. You get to direct all that power through a six-speed manual. And it’s a driver-oriented roadster with a Honda badge and, of course, Honda pricing. With all that going for the S2000, why go for anything else?
That is, unless a few certain conditions are met. Let’s say a first-gen Mazda Miata with the heart of a Honda K-motor under the hood. Would that change your mind? YouTuber Adam LZ thinks so, having experienced such a beast first-hand.
Stopping by the shop of fellow YouTuber (and Honda-fied Miata owner) tommyfyeah, also known as Tommy Farrell, to work on a part for his Nissan Skyline, Mr. Lizotte-Zeisler immediately happens upon Farrell’s Miata “just chillin’ at the shop with no hood on it,” something LZ says would worry him if it were his car. Rather than work on the part, though, Farrell offers LZ the chance to drive the Miata, which is powered by a Honda K24 linked to the rear through a BMW ZF six-speed manual. Along with the other performance bits, this hybrid is a track car through and through.
Even before starting Farrell’s Miata, LZ is impressed with how well the six-speed locks into each gear. He does learn that it has no power steering, the gearing is “heinous,” and the tires rub against the fenders. It’s on the drive where the Honda magic shines though, however, thanks to the tons of low-end torque the K24 pumps out, and the instantaneous response it delivers.
It would take a lot of work to build something as mad as a Honda K-powered Miata. If you didn’t want to sacrifice your S2000 to the high-performance gods, though, you could impress your friends and terrify your neighbors with such a beast, all the while keeping to the Honda lifestyle.
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