When Greatness Is The Result (long)
10-24-2000, 08:16 PM
#1
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What seperates a great automobile from a mediocre one? What makes one model a classic and another a turkey? What makes one a landmark car and the others mere followers?
I would like to offer some opinions on this subject and how it applies to the S2000 and would like to here your opinions as well.
1. Heritage, Racing and The Founding Fathers.
Enzo Ferrari, Ferdinand Porsche, Sochiro Honda, . . . All loved racing and engineering to win. All started about 50 years ago, roughly halfway through the automotive century. All used what they learned in racing to improve their products. All left a legacy of racing and engineering excellence.
Sochiro knew that he had to compete and win at the highest levels of racing to be taken seriously by the rest of the world. He knew this was where he needed to send his young talented engineers to become "seasoned" under the intense pressure of world class competition. The competition of such companies as Ferrari and Porsche were the fires he forged his engineering blade upon.
2. The Countries with the Best Machine Tools Win.
Sochiro started his company by buying machine tools from Germany who 50 years ago built the most accurate machine tools in the world. If you have machine tools that can mill and bore with greater accuracy and closer tolerances than the other guy, your product can be built to closer and more exacting tolerances. In racing closer tolerances mean more HP. Closer tolerances mean better more precise mechanisims.
England suffered from lack of modern machine tools. They were making automobiles with some tooling that dated back to the steam age. The decline of the English auto industry was largely a result of lack of modernization (and labor issues which we will not address here)
As computer controled machine tools were developed and then full robotics, Japan came to the forefront with the best machine tools in the world. Honda makes their own robotics and are considered the class of the world. Consequently they make engines and assemblies to the closest tolerences in the world. Other companies wait to buy Honda's older generation robotics when Honda upgrades.
3. Heritage
Italy has the best design houses in the world and working in metal and stone is part of the Italian heritage. No one builds bodies like the Italians.
Germany still makes excellent machine tools and has a highly skilled workforce with a heritage of working well with tools.
Japan also has a highly educated and skilled workforce.
QUALITY RESULTS FROM THESE INGREDIENTS.
4. Dedication to pure Research and Development
When a company dedicates large amounts of resources to pure research they invest in their future. Honda does just that. They keep their research facility totaly seperate from their production facility. If something that R&D develops turns out to be a commercial flop Honda does not chastise them. They are allowed to work on interesting technologys whether they will be commercially viable or not. THE END PRODUCT IS KNOWLEDGE
Unlike the American car companies who are beholden to the stockholders and the quartely report. R&D better be working on something for the next K car or something otherwise no more funding to that project.
5. Allow the pure vision of your top engineers and designers to become product.
The S2000 design team was headed up by the same guy who designed the NSX and also the engines for Honda's Formula-1 championship winning engines. His vision was diluted by focus groups and demographics. It is perhaps one of the most narrowly focused cars ever to be produced by a major manufacturer.
It is PURE.
It is MINIMALIST.
It is not for everyone.
The S2000 is not based on any other car. It was designed and built from day one as a unique, limited production, hand assembled vehicle.
It has the most advanced, highest output per liter, highest revving naturally asperated engine in the world.
It has the stiffest chassis of any roadster built.
It has a very sophisticated suspension system.
It has the best shifting transmission in any production Automobile.
It is a BLAST to drive.
It is desireable.
These are things that make it a GREAT automobile and one that will achieve a cult status and be a desireable collectors car years from now. It has achieved certain landmarks in performance and affordability and is already being spoken of reverently by many of the industry experts.
Nowhere else does modern technology blend so well with traditional sports car heritage.
This my friends is a truly great car and will be recorded as such in the years to come.
That is my argument for the opinion that the S2000 is a GREAT automobile.
I would like to offer some opinions on this subject and how it applies to the S2000 and would like to here your opinions as well.
1. Heritage, Racing and The Founding Fathers.
Enzo Ferrari, Ferdinand Porsche, Sochiro Honda, . . . All loved racing and engineering to win. All started about 50 years ago, roughly halfway through the automotive century. All used what they learned in racing to improve their products. All left a legacy of racing and engineering excellence.
Sochiro knew that he had to compete and win at the highest levels of racing to be taken seriously by the rest of the world. He knew this was where he needed to send his young talented engineers to become "seasoned" under the intense pressure of world class competition. The competition of such companies as Ferrari and Porsche were the fires he forged his engineering blade upon.
2. The Countries with the Best Machine Tools Win.
Sochiro started his company by buying machine tools from Germany who 50 years ago built the most accurate machine tools in the world. If you have machine tools that can mill and bore with greater accuracy and closer tolerances than the other guy, your product can be built to closer and more exacting tolerances. In racing closer tolerances mean more HP. Closer tolerances mean better more precise mechanisims.
England suffered from lack of modern machine tools. They were making automobiles with some tooling that dated back to the steam age. The decline of the English auto industry was largely a result of lack of modernization (and labor issues which we will not address here)
As computer controled machine tools were developed and then full robotics, Japan came to the forefront with the best machine tools in the world. Honda makes their own robotics and are considered the class of the world. Consequently they make engines and assemblies to the closest tolerences in the world. Other companies wait to buy Honda's older generation robotics when Honda upgrades.
3. Heritage
Italy has the best design houses in the world and working in metal and stone is part of the Italian heritage. No one builds bodies like the Italians.
Germany still makes excellent machine tools and has a highly skilled workforce with a heritage of working well with tools.
Japan also has a highly educated and skilled workforce.
QUALITY RESULTS FROM THESE INGREDIENTS.
4. Dedication to pure Research and Development
When a company dedicates large amounts of resources to pure research they invest in their future. Honda does just that. They keep their research facility totaly seperate from their production facility. If something that R&D develops turns out to be a commercial flop Honda does not chastise them. They are allowed to work on interesting technologys whether they will be commercially viable or not. THE END PRODUCT IS KNOWLEDGE
Unlike the American car companies who are beholden to the stockholders and the quartely report. R&D better be working on something for the next K car or something otherwise no more funding to that project.
5. Allow the pure vision of your top engineers and designers to become product.
The S2000 design team was headed up by the same guy who designed the NSX and also the engines for Honda's Formula-1 championship winning engines. His vision was diluted by focus groups and demographics. It is perhaps one of the most narrowly focused cars ever to be produced by a major manufacturer.
It is PURE.
It is MINIMALIST.
It is not for everyone.
The S2000 is not based on any other car. It was designed and built from day one as a unique, limited production, hand assembled vehicle.
It has the most advanced, highest output per liter, highest revving naturally asperated engine in the world.
It has the stiffest chassis of any roadster built.
It has a very sophisticated suspension system.
It has the best shifting transmission in any production Automobile.
It is a BLAST to drive.
It is desireable.
These are things that make it a GREAT automobile and one that will achieve a cult status and be a desireable collectors car years from now. It has achieved certain landmarks in performance and affordability and is already being spoken of reverently by many of the industry experts.
Nowhere else does modern technology blend so well with traditional sports car heritage.
This my friends is a truly great car and will be recorded as such in the years to come.
That is my argument for the opinion that the S2000 is a GREAT automobile.
10-25-2000, 09:37 AM
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Great insightful summary in the original message.
I, too, hope that time agrees with your perspective. I once thought it would be a great car to keep in the garage with a cover on it, taking it out occasionally on weekends, limiting the mileage. That hasn't quite happened--it is just too much fun to drive!
By the way, what's up with this reply??!:
I, too, hope that time agrees with your perspective. I once thought it would be a great car to keep in the garage with a cover on it, taking it out occasionally on weekends, limiting the mileage. That hasn't quite happened--it is just too much fun to drive!
By the way, what's up with this reply??!:
Originally posted by Jay Li:
You might want to post this somewhere else...I don't think people on this board doubt it's a great car.
You might want to post this somewhere else...I don't think people on this board doubt it's a great car.
10-25-2000, 10:12 AM
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Originally posted by Jay Li:
You might want to post this somewhere else...I don't think people on this board doubt it's a great car.
Jay
You might want to post this somewhere else...I don't think people on this board doubt it's a great car.
Jay
Why? I don't think this is OT. While some may not agree with the opinions expressed(I do agree for the most part), I believe it's 'S2000 relevant'.
Mike
10-25-2000, 10:19 AM
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<By the way, what's up with this reply??!:>
I believe Jay Li is stating that most on this board would agree with Bieg's very clear and thoughtful assessment of the VALUE of the S2000. To define the true value of an object is a very subjective and difficult thing to do...and I very much enjoyed reading it, Beig. I consider Sochiro Honda a hero figure, someone I would really like to emulate.
Jay may also see value in posting this message in other forums, which may serve the dual purpose of bragging
, and, I suppose, arouse further interest (and possibly increase the value?) of the S2000.
The longer I own this wonderful car, the more I love and appreciate it.
I believe Jay Li is stating that most on this board would agree with Bieg's very clear and thoughtful assessment of the VALUE of the S2000. To define the true value of an object is a very subjective and difficult thing to do...and I very much enjoyed reading it, Beig. I consider Sochiro Honda a hero figure, someone I would really like to emulate.
Jay may also see value in posting this message in other forums, which may serve the dual purpose of bragging
, and, I suppose, arouse further interest (and possibly increase the value?) of the S2000. The longer I own this wonderful car, the more I love and appreciate it.
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10-25-2000, 10:35 AM
#8
Registered User
Doug got me right...I wasn't saying it belonged in another forum on this board...what I was saying was that maybe he could post his view on some other auto enthusiast's board, because we all think the S2K is a great car.
Jay
Jay