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In Reply to: S2000 posted by Aron on September 17, 2000 at 22:44:04:
Despite what you read, there is really nothing new in small engines that rev like mad to get a high specific output - the French and Italians have been building them for years. A torqueless wonder screaming to 9,000 RPM is usually indicative of some external force biasing the engineering. "Closest to F1" is one of the rallying cries of the S2000 crowd. Yes, it is, but F1 has limits to displacement. Given this limit, the only way to be more comopetitive is to get more power out of a fixed engine size. The way to do this is to increase revs. Traditionally French and Itlaian sports cars have used this, not because it is the best way to build an engine, but because their tax laws were/are based on engine displacement.
In a world free of these artificial constraints, a larger displacement engine with lower operating speeds and a flexible balance of torque and power is best - from the perspective of driveablity and certainly longevity.
I haven't driven the S2000, but I can tell you that BMW has done a masterful job on te blance of the controls on the Z3. I have drivne cars ranging form Alfa Romeos to Renaults (including Hondas) and no one can balance the feel and response of controls like BMW can. They are extremely communicative, and respond with equivalence - you never have a light throttle and a heavy clutch, for example. They are nocely wweighted so that steering, brake, throttle, shifting, etc. have a resistnace that is proportional to the results you will expect from them. Fortuunately this trait is easier to experience than describe, but it is the mark of a well-engineered car in my opinion, and one that makes it a pleasure to drive.
Finally the styling. The S2000 looks like a junior high art class soap sculpture of a Z3 - I can't think of another way to describe it. The Z3 is a work of art. I am constantly impressed at BMW's sense of history. There are references to other classic sports cars ranging form the 328 to the Allard J2, yet these elements are incorporated into a coherent whole. The designers have paid homage to all the great sports cars yet come up with a design that is not a copy.
In my opinion, if you buy an S2000 you end up with a car that is a demonstration piece for an engine, rahter than an integrated whole that cen be enjoyed on many levels.
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