The 300K-Mile S2000 Has Finally Blown Up
This high-mile S2000 provided its owner with plenty of fun before disaster struck.
Luck Runs Out
We've been following the ongoing saga of the 300k-mile S2000 - owned by Brian Silvestro of Road & Track - for some time now with great interest. After all, most would consider any vehicle with this kind of mileage to be a bit of a ticking time bomb, or at least a giant money pit. To date, however, this S2000 provided Silvestro with some great fun on and off the track, but his luck has apparently run out.
Photos: Brian Silvestro for Road & Track
Track Machine
Silvestro originally purchased his high-mile roadster last summer and has since slowly turned it into a track car with the addition of new tires, suspension bits, and brakes. When winter came, however, he parked his project and began driving his other vehicle, a BMW M3 with nearly 300k miles, until that broke, anyway.
Photos: Brian Silvestro for Road & Track
Borrowed Time
Problem was, the M3 did what BMWs do and broke down, leaving Silvestro with no choice but to drive his S2000 in the frigid cold after it had sat dormant for three months. However, that's when bad things happened to that car as well, solidifying the belief that cars with this kind of mileage are living on borrowed time.
Photos: Brian Silvestro for Road & Track
End Game
"I was cruising down the highway when the motor began to hesitate," Silvestro said. "I glanced at the gauges and didn’t notice anything was amiss, so I kept going thinking it may have been the fuel pump beginning to fail. A few seconds later the car lost all power, so I immediately exited the highway. As soon as I pushed in the clutch the engine died. By the time I came to a stop, there was smoke emanating from under the hood. Right then and there I knew I was screwed."
Photos: Brian Silvestro for Road & Track
Bad Diagnosis
Silvestro checked the oil, which was full but smelled burnt, then noticed that the coolant was gone. "The engine still cranked just fine, but wouldn’t fire, even with starting fluid," Silvestro said. "My guess is low compression, though I didn’t have time to perform a proper test. Either way, the diagnosis isn’t good."
Photos: Brian Silvestro for Road & Track
Moving On
Silvestro thought about tearing the engine down to inspect the damage or possibly even K-swapping his S2000 but ultimately decided to cut his losses and sell the car as-is. Given the current state of the market, that proved to be a smart move, and he sold it immediately to someone that plans on getting it roadworthy once again.
Photos: Brian Silvestro for Road & Track
Endless Money Pit
While we're sad to see this project end, it's probably wise to move on. After all, even after throwing a ton of money at the car, it's still a super high-mile example, which means that the new owner better be prepared to continue throwing money at it for the foreseeable future.
Photos: Brian Silvestro for Road & Track