This Porsche Grey Black Honda S2000 Shows What Foresight Can Deliver

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When Honda introduced the S2000 roadster in 1999, it ushered in a whole new generation of fans and buyers, many of whom had never owned a Honda previously. The ingredients that included slick body lines, a driver-focused interior, and a high-revving Honda four-cylinder engine—all wrapped up in Honda's well documented reliability—proved to be an ideal recipe for a smash hit.

Jonathan Monteith was on board the moment he locked eyes with the original S2000, the AP1 generation, but like many, was in no position to visit his local dealership to pick one up. Still in high school at the time, a few '90s-era Civics would be the closest he'd get to the roadster that he'd come to lust after.

It wasn't until late 2016 that Jonathan figured out, after calculating the potential dollars he could earn by parting out his EG project at the time, he could put together the necessary funds to buy an S2000. And by February of 2017, that's exactly what he did.

This 2001 S2K was almost entirely factory-issue, save for the K&N filter that had replaced the stock element, and most critically, it was within Jonathan's price range. Admittedly, it had its share of issues but that didn't bother the new owner as the plan was to give the car a complete makeover as time and funds allowed. Like most, wheels and suspension went on first, followed by additional mods, but as more parts trickled in, something wasn't sitting right with Jonathan. He adds, "I ended up just buying parts here and there for the car with no real vision of what the end goal was."

You've seen it plenty of times before. A car covered in every aftermarket part imaginable, but no real direction and it begins looking more like a magnet for trinkets than a well-planned build. Rather than heading down that road, Jonathan decided to regroup. "I took a step back and started thinking about how I wanted it to look in the end. I wanted to build something that stood out yet wasn't too over the top."

With a call to his friends at Art of Attack, a full order of parts was placed, and he was in for a lengthy wait given that many of the items were coming from overseas. At that time, a "lengthy wait" meant upwards of three months to get your hands on imported goods, while post-pandemic lead times have tripled in best case scenarios. Still, knowing that he had some time to kill, Jonathan decided to tear the car down for a complete color change.

Probably the most asked question regarding his build is what color the S2000 now wears. The color you see is "Grey Black" and comes from the Porsche color swatch. In low light it appears black but with a hit of direct light, the non-metallic grey shows through. "In my opinion, Porsche has some of the best and most diverse colors in the car world," Jonathan explains. "I drew inspiration from a 2010 GT3 RS I saw at a local cars and coffee." In addition, a close friend used the same color on his Civic years prior and more recently, his friend Jared Aguila applied it to his 964.

The unique color blends seamlessly into and around the aggressive cuts and angles added to the S2000's exterior, new dimensions applied courtesy of a Voltex Race front bumper with a low-positioned carbon splitter. Along the sides of the face are carbon canards that sit just below louvered EVS Tuning fenders that grant 30 mm of additional clearance, and in between them, a vented ASM hood. Along the roadster's ribcage, Voltex side skirts are attached, and the bulky side mirrors ditched for sleek MRacing versions.

Not to be outshone, the rear of the car was fitted with an ASM I.S. bumper and Voltex diffuser, and a shadow is cast by a K1 Lab duckbill and towering 1700mm Type 7.5 GT wing. In between the aero changes you'll find a one-of-a-kind set of Car shop GLOW LED taillights and the entire ensemble is topped off with a carbon-fiber hardtop. The vented panels, angular accents, and woven carbon touches make up the majority of the car's exterior with only the doors, quarter panels, and trunk lid serving as original factory issue.

Depending on what day you spot it, Jonathan's AP1 might be on this squared set of Formula Silver TE37s, or one of his other wheel sets. Regardless of rolling stock, bright red StopTech ST40 calipers do their best to steal attention from behind the spokes. Eibach's Multi Pro R2 coilovers and rear sway bar are backed by an ASM bump steer kit and front/rear extended ball joints to crisp up the already stout handling.

That hint of red from the brakes against the dark paintwork was enough to convince Jonathan to go with crimson Recaro RS-GS seats that hold tighter and offer increased headroom over the stock leathers. The lower portion of the door panels have been removed for EVS Tuning's carbon fiber door cards. More of Jonathan's favorite woven material can be found surrounding the Personal steering wheel and on the center console and armrest. The entire soft top assembly has been deleted, and a four-point roll bar bolted in its place.

Though he hasn't pulled the trigger on boost just yet, Jonathan notes that it's certainly in his future. Until then, he's added the standard bolt-on parts but is well aware that the F-series is not particularly fond of squeezing out substantial power increases without forced induction or involved internal work. Even with that, his parts selection is a clever mix of old and new, custom and off-the-shelf, and, like the rest of the build, follows a strict code of quality goods that play nicely together.

Adding some protection for forays to 9,000 rpm, Supertech goods replaced the engine's often scrutinized valvetrain. The OEM header was pulled and, in its place, a Ballade Sports manifold that leads to a J's Racing 70RR free-flowing exhaust. Up front, a classic Mugen intake system was combined with a modern Origin Fab pie-cut, titanium intake arm for a classy mix of then and now. The corrosion-resistant metal can also be found on the ARC header shield, ASM shock tower bar, and a slew of Chasing Js touches from the coil pack cover to the cooling panel, dozens of engine bay bolts, and more.

Surrounding the shiny red powder coated valve cover, the titanium and carbon fiber highlights continue the car's cohesive feel and serve as testament to Jonathan's decision to step back and rethink his process.

Far removed from his high school days spent daydreaming about one day getting behind the wheel of an S2000, Jonathan took the necessary steps to own the car and was wise enough to slow himself down in order to devise a plan of attack. When asked what is next, he states, "the only future plans I have with the car is a supercharger kit to add more reliable power, but other than that, I want to drive her to events and enjoy what I put my blood, sweat, tears (and quite of a lot of money, lol) into."

2001 Honda S2000

Owner Jonathan Monteith

Instagram @TeddyJon

Engine Spoon Sports engine mounts; Supertech titanium valvesprings, retainers; Ballade Sports tri-Y header; J's Racing 70RR exhaust; Rywire dual-pass radiator, -16AN fittings; Toda Racing oil pan, timing chain tensioner; Walbro 255lph; Mugen intake; Origin Fab titanium intake arm, catch can/coolant tank; Chasing Js burnt titanium hardware, coil pack cover, dipstick, oil cap, fuel rail cover, radiator cap, battery tie down, crossmember cover, VTEC solenoid cover, cooling plate, radiator stays; custom shaved valvecover; ARC titanium header shield

Drivetrain ACT heavy duty pressure plate; Renegade Motorsports short shifter; EVS Tuning axle spacers; titanium rear axle nuts

Suspension Eibach Multi-Pro RS2 coilovers, 900lbs. springs, rear roll bar; ASM front shock tower bar, bump steer kit; EVS Tuning 4-pt. roll bar; Buddy Club front/rear extended ball joints

Braking Stoptech ST40 bit brake kit, slotted rotors, steel braided lines; Project Mu Club Racer pads

Wheels & Tires 17x9.5 +41 Volk TE37 in Formula Silver; 255/40 Yokohama A052; Chasing Js titanium lug nuts, valve stem caps

Exterior Porsche Grey Black complete color change; Voltex Race front bumper, side skirts; carbon fiber splitter, carbon fiber canards, rear diffuser, 1700mm Type 7.5 swan neck GT wing; EVS front fenders w/carbon fiber vents; ASM hood, I.S. rear bumper; K1 Lab carbon fiber duckbill; Renegade Motorsports carbon fiber wing mounts; Forbidden USA Mugen-style carbon fiber hardtop; MRacing Type 1 mirrors; AP2 headlights; one-of-one Car shop GLOW LED taillights; custom front tow hook

Interior Recaro RS-GS seats; Renegade Motorsports 6-pt. harnesses, titanium shift knob; Personal Neo Grinta 330mm steering wheel; NSX-R horn button, shift boot; EVS dry carbon fiber door cards; ASM Zoom carbon fiber mirror, seat side protectors, steering wheel hub; Works Bell quick-tilt; custom carbon fiber switch panels, center console pieces; PCI slider seat mounts; OEM Honda Access floor mats; new factory moldings

Thank You My AS1 Family, Norman for taking me under your wing, Angel & the guys at Art of Attack, Velocity Powder Coating, Frankie from Premier Auto Body, Joe Gaska for the carbon work, my friends & family for the constant support.