5 Notable S2000 Fans and Enthusiasts
The S2000 can inspire fanatical enthusiasm from fans. It's a unique sports car, and S2k fans are often just as interesting and individual. Take a look at a few of them right here.
1. Alexander Potoczak
Alexander Potoczak is a recent voice in a small but noisy chorus of online S2000 fans. Although he’s primarily working towards a marketing degree, his other love is cars, particularly his S2000. Early on in 2017, he published an article via LinkedIn entitled “Why the Honda S2000 is Worth It.” He keeps his points fairly brief, but it’s easy to tell how enthusiastic he is about the roadster. Current S2k owners won’t need the extra convincing, but it’s still a worthy read for the way he manages to convey his love of the car. All of us have had that “Wow” moment with an S2000, and Alexander sure knows how to bring back the warm feelings we might have otherwise taken for granted.
We’re confident Alexander will be able to merge his interests together with a marketing career in the automotive industry. The passion’s already there in spades.
You can follow Alexander's musings on cars and technology via his Twitter handle.
2. Kazunori Yamauchi
Kazunori Yamauchi isn’t a celebrity in the traditional sense, but he is a legend if you ask the right people. An experienced racer and proud S2000 owner, Yamauchi is best known as the mastermind behind the Gran Turismo series of video games for the Sony Playstation. Growing up as a total auto fanatic, he wondered why there weren’t any video games that allowed people to drive real-world cars. On top of being one of the Playstation’s most successful exclusive franchises, Gran Turismo has earned a reputation as one of the most realistic and comprehensive driving simulations out on the market. Is it any surprise that one of the most obsessive auto enthusiasts out there is big on the S2k?
3. Bryan and the EV S2000
Electric cars may be a fringe market for the time being, but this hasn’t stopped at least one resourceful S2k owner from creating a unique electric roadster of his own. Recording his process on a website for others to read, Bryan’s brilliant EV S2000 hopefully sets a precedent for other tech-savvy car owners to electrify their rides as well.
5. Laurens de Jong, the "Convertible Guy"
The story of Laurens de Jong feels perfectly suited to the S2000’s uncompromising eccentricity. A resident of Detroit, Laurens came to the attention of Jalopnik for consistently keeping his S2000 soft top down every day he has commuted for the last 12 years. Detroit’s “convertible guy” isn’t phased by the rain or snow in his 50 minutes commute—and Detroit weather offers more than its share of both.
Some people think De Jong is crazy for going topless for so long. Others still could think he might be aiming to set some sort of record with it. They wouldn’t be totally wrong on that point either. The 12 year streak first started as a 100 day challenge he made to himself. After keeping it down for that long, he realized he preferred it. De Jong admits he gets cold like anyone else, but he’s keen on the little details he gets to experience as a result. The pure air, the “padded sound of tires on fresh snow,” these are the things that kept him coming back.
It’s not surprising that this conviction has caused problems. The rain has shorted out his console more than once. He’s conceded to covering up if the rain gets bad enough, but otherwise, it seems like the S2000’s uncompromising nature has found a fitting owner.
4. Vicki Butler-Henderson
Car lovers and casuals alike are recommended to check out Top Gear. At its best, it was some of the most infectious television being aired. Vicki Butler-Henderson was a presenter on the show from 1997 until the BBC cancelled it in 2001. This didn’t stop Vicki, however. She and the other presenters revived the show as Fifth Gear the following year. There seems to be a pattern of car aficionados having a special place for the S2000. Vicki reportedly owned two at one point, although she’s now down to one.