The Province (Enlarge photo)

01/12/2008 16:00. It's precisely the scenario that suits the Honda S2000. It is a modern version of the quintessential sports car, featuring the refinements of the latest automotive technology without compromising the attributes that make a roadster so much fun to drive.

Honda launched the S2000 in the spring of 1999 as a 2000 model to mark the Japanese automaker's 50th anniversary. There had been other roadsters in the company's history -- the S550, S600 and S800 -- but this model was a high-tech machine with performance unlike any other product in Honda's lineup. Its sophisticated four-cylinder engine cranked out 240 horses from just two litres as it buzzed up past 8,000 rpm.

The first time I drove an S2000 I was sure the engine would grenade as the revs spooled toward numbers that promised detonation... // The Province