Every so often a car turns up that makes you question how time even works. This is one of them: a 2000 Honda S2000 that has covered just 1,092 kilometers since it rolled off the line a quarter of a century ago. That works out to 679 miles total, or roughly the distance from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, spread across 26 years of ownership.
The roadster is currently listed for sale through Bingo in Japan, and the auction house expects it to change hands for somewhere between 9 and 11 million yen. At today's exchange rate that lands the car in the neighborhood of $56,000 to $68,000, which is real money for an early S2000 when clean, US-market examples can still be found for under $30,000.
So what justifies the premium? It comes down almost entirely to that figure on the odometer. According to the seller, the original owner tucked the car away in a barn shortly after taking delivery, and there it quietly stayed. The current owner acquired it about five years ago and has carried on the tradition, adding next to nothing to the total.
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Letting a car sit for decades usually does more harm than good, with seals drying out and fluids degrading. To counter that, Bingo says the current keeper has made a habit of firing the engine up at least once a week and has had the car inspected on a regular schedule, keeping it mechanically honest rather than simply frozen in place.
What makes the find genuinely special, though, is how untouched it is. Where countless S2000s have been turbocharged, slammed and otherwise modified into oblivion, this one remains completely original. It wears Silverstone Metallic paint, sits on the familiar five-spoke wheels fitted at the factory, and hides a cabin trimmed in bright red leather and fabric. It is about as close to a brand-new, showroom-fresh AP1 as you are likely to encounter today.
The timing matters for American enthusiasts, too. Because this is an early car built in 2000, it has cleared the 25-year threshold that opens the door to US import. The catch is that the auction wraps up quickly, so anyone serious about bringing it stateside will want their funds in order well before the clock runs down.
The S2000 arrived during a high-water mark for Honda and for Japanese performance in general, pairing one of the most thrilling naturally aspirated four-cylinders of its day with a featherweight convertible body, a slick six-speed manual and rear-wheel drive. Cars like this one are why the model has steadily climbed in value, and here's hoping its next owner actually drives and savors it rather than parking it away for another 26 years.
Photos courtesy of Bingo in Japan.