Every Tuesday evening, from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm in the parking lot of the Roxbury Mall in Succasunna, NJ there is a Cruise Night. You have to be a member of the North Jersey Street Rod Association to participate. Knowing all of this, and wanting to show my S2000 and participate just for the fun of it, I paid my $7.00 and joined the North Jersey Street Rod Association. About half of the fee goes to a children's hospital in the area which makes me happy, and the other half pays for the DJ playing the oldies, the cones in the lot and whatever other expenses there might be.

Generally about 75 cars show up. Most of them are American iron from the muscle car days. Some are pickup trucks and some are from the 1930s. Almost all are modified in one way or another, and most are owned by middle aged and older men. There is also a group of about 15 Corvettes whose owners think that they're the elite among us. The line up in one area, sit together and almost never acknowledge any of the other cars. There are three or four of us sports car owners. I bring my S2000, one guy brings his Miata, another his Triumph TR6 and sometimes a Porsche 911.

The inaugural meet was two weeks ago. Last week I convince another S2000 owner to join me so that there were two of us. It really didn't matter. Most of the owners don't understand or have any respect for sports cars. They're hung up on their muscle cars and big American cars from days gone by. To them sports cars are like toys not to be taken seriously.

Anyway, we sat and chatted with the other sports car owners for a few hours, and every now and again a young person would pass by and ask us about our cars, or some older person who had owned an MG years ago would stop to talk, but our S2000 really got no love from the crowd. They just don't understand sports cars.

My S2000 and Big Al's (tr8al on S2KCA) S2000 sitting side by side mostly ignored by the rest of the crowd. Big Al's S is wearing his racing numbers as he tracks the car.



Anyway, I'll probably continue to go. It's fun to talk to the other sports car owners and even to some of the American iron owners. I just wish my S2000 got more love from everyone. I wish they understood what these cars are all about.

 

Rob, you should have used Rodney Dangerfield's famous line: "I Don't Get Any Respect" ! Replacing "I Don't" with "My S2000" !!!

I'm hearing you though. Maybe that's in part to it's rarity. Most people haven't a clue to this amazing car we know and love.

I know I didn't till 2005. When I did I had to sell my Acura and get one!

 

Rob, most people who grew up in the 50s or 60s fall into one of three camps - muscle cars, hot rods, or sports cars. It is not often the someone makes the bridge between them. My best friend does but he is rare. He has restored a '61 MGA, '70 MGB, and '72 MG Midget plus a total kick-ass '68 Mustang and he knows everything about the muscle car's of that time frame.

I've always considered myself a "car guy" but I was recently reminded that's not true. Better said would be "foreign car guy". This is how I made the discovery again. Hemmings recently stopped producing their magazine devoted to sports cars and classics, so they sent me two issues of classic American cars to end my subscription. There was absolutely nothing of interest in either issue for me, except the history of MoPar, not that I ever owned one of their products. Sure when I walk around at a car show I wonder over and eye-ball SS 409 with Hertz shifter and think that cool but I have no real desire to own one or drive one.

And, I am also of the opinion that the Honda S2000 is not a car that shows well, i.e. its not a show car. It's a race car for the road but it's not a show car.

 

Dave,

The exact same thing happened to me with Hemmings. I too was a subscriber to "Sports and Exotic Car". When I'd receive it, I'd read every article and look at every picture. After they stopped publication they also sent me the final two issues of "Classic Car". After the first few pages of the first one I completely lost interest. I'm disappointed. I loved "Sports and Exotic" and don't at all care for "Classic Car".

 

I don't know. I don't think its the rarity of the car so much as the fact that most people just don't take sports cars seriously. Especially Japanese sports cars. English and Italian sports cars at least have a heritage, Japanese sports cars really don't.

 

I agree. The same friend that I mentioned earlier says his MGA often gets more attention at a mostly muscle car show than his Mustang, which is easily a national award winner whereas his MGA, like mine, is meant to be a driver. I get the feeling Japanese sports cars get more respect in CA and TX but not so much in other states.

 

Rob, no Asian car clubs in your area?

 

Rob, went to these events for years. When the car was new, there was curiosity about, but hot rodders are different. They are much more concerned with nostalgia. If you went with an MGA or maybe even an E-Type, they might actually look, but from what I have seen hotrod folks, they tend to look very far down, on modern, especially Japanese sports cars. Now Cars and Coffee, you might get someone who at least gives a look, but hot rodders, not so much in my experience. Now if you crammed a big block Chevy in it, well that would different.

 

Mine gets the occasional look at Cars and Coffee, but only from the younger crowd. It looks stock so they don't take much interest. If only they knew the mods that I have done in the name of performance, they might appreciate it more. To the uninitiated, the S2000 is just a cute little 4cylinder convertible.

 

Parking lot car shows are usually just a bunch of old guys who keep their
Mustangs, Chevelles, etc. in the garage and then bring them out to a parking lot
and sit in lawn chairs once a month or so and tell stories. I appreciate those cars
as I grew up with them but I also appreciate any other type of performance car as well
whether it's a 66 Vette, TR6 or S2000. And I am an old guy.