The Final Chapter

A little over four years ago, after surrendering Bumblestook's plates and turning her into a dedicated race car and trailer queen, I realized how much I missed driving an S2000 around on the street and I ended buying Lupa and chronicled her journey in this blog.

Lupa in her current trim

We've had some incredible times. I spent a lot of time driving to all sorts of places with the top down. Her driver seat was a great place to re-establish focus and be alone with my thoughts. Eventually fully prepped for STR, she served as a "training/backup" car for events where I didn't feel like towing Bumblestook. We drove all the way down to Key West and back going from near freezing temps to scorching sticky weather and back again all with the top down just because.

S2000 East Coast Tour 2015 Video

Two years ago, I had to awesome opportunity to see both Lupa and Bumblestook compete at the SCCA Solo National Championship and share my love for these cars and the sport with more people.

2016 SCCA Solo Nationals

Each S2000 had their own purpose and everything made sense. Fast forward to now and Bumblestook is back in all her glory as a legitimate "one car to do it all" street legal S2000. It seems obvious then that when presented with an opportunity to drive one, I'm always going to pick the keys of the car that started it all for me, Bumblestook. There are many reasons I can justify keeping Lupa but it is time to let her go. While I have no financial need to sell her, one thing I refuse to do is just leave her parked when she can be out there being driven hard and enjoyed as every S2000 should.

One of the rare moments both cars were together

This is the 2nd to last post for this blog. The final blog post will be for when she's finally sold. The plan now is to part her out and bring her back to mostly stock form so I can offer her up for a very reasonable price and allow more people to share in what I like to call #s2klove. It's been literally and figuratively a great ride and now it's time to find her a good home.

Lupa's final event - 6-3-2018

Final Car Details:

2005 Honda S2000
Silverstone with Red/Black interior (around 1 of 520 made in 2005)
77K miles

Engine/Drivetrain
K&N FIPK Intake
Toda Torquie-Kun Header Jet-Hot coated
70mm EVS High Flow Cat
T1R 70-EM Full Titanium cat-back exhaust
New OEM clutch and flywheel installed at around 55k miles
ATS Spec III clutch-type differential
GReddy Emanage Ultimate with Karcepts dyno tune (8600rpm redline)
Moroso Catch Can
Innovative 75A poly motor mounts and transmission mount
Poly filled OEM differential mounts
New CMC and VTEC solenoid gaskets
New Deka EXT14 lightweight battery

Suspension
Karcepts front and rear sway bars
Moton Clubsport dual adjustable shocks rebuild/revalved by ANZE Suspension
850lb/650lb Hypercoil springs
Hardrace front camber joint

Exterior
OEM CR Lip
OEM license plate holes deleted, bracket removed
Robbins Cloth soft top with glass window
Advan RSII in Hyperblack 17x9 +63 with Advan aluminum center caps
255/40/17 BFG RivalS 1.5 all around
LED bulbs everywhere (turn signals, parking lights, reverse, license plate)

Interior/Electronics
Alcantara wrapped and thickened OEM steering wheel
Evasive Motorsports spec Black/Red Recaro Pole position. (black velour headrest, black jersey sides, a red suede center and classic double red stitching)
Mugen leather shift knob with red stitching
Alpine headunit with Alpine Type-S speakers and inline sub
Modifry Shift Beeper
Modifry cup holder

Miscellaneous Items
OEM AP2V1 wheels wrapped in Continental DSW tires
Original VIN matched transmission (has 2nd gear popout, transmission currently in car has 5K fewer miles than odometer)
Spare driver and passenger side mirrors
OEM driver seat

Another mid-pack performance

Surprisingly we got an NNJR SCCA event suddenly added to our schedule in June (joint with the NNJR PCA) so obviously I had to take the opportunity to go. It was a fun course and I had a great time despite the unseasonably cooler temps in June (low 60s) and a stiff constant wind at the meadowlands making it feel even cooler and challenging to get any heat in the BFGs.

NNJR SCCA Autox - 6-3-2018

I can't say I was terribly happy with my driving. It's pretty lackluster and I'm not even mildly mid-pack. It's definitely not the car holding me back. I think it's a combination of reduced skill and practice along with a loss of serious motivation or competitive hunger right now. Normally this time of year I have my game face on and prepping for the Toledo ProSolo but with my calendar clear of any big events this year, I don't really think I'm trying hard at all.

NNJR SCCA Autox - 6-3-2018
Photo by: Alex Meramo

Maybe I'll find my way out of this rut soon but for now i'm going to continue to enjoy the sport for what it is...a place where I can enjoy the limits of my car safely and hang out with friends.

Steguis - NNJR SCCA - 6-3-2018