During high school, Robbie Perez was rarely phased by the loud thuds and metal-on-concrete sounds that any one of his Civics made as he pulled into a driveway. He was also indifferent to the fact that, due to a series of makeshift anti-theft tactics, Perez often couldn't even fire up his own ride. These are the sacrifices the die-hard enthusiast makes. Those of good looks, performance and security quickly take a back seat to those of reliability, drivability and practicality.
Things changed for this Burbank, Calif. resident when he graduated from high school. With a college commute in the near future and a full-time job to attend to, acquiring a reliable daily driver soon became priority. Perez wanted to upgrade. He had the funds, he just wasn't sure what he wanted. For a brief moment, he pondered the thought of trading in his slammed, B series-swapped hatch for that of a TL, BWW or Escalade. Those sentiments were short lived.Perez once again turned to the Honda badge for his latest acquisition. Years earlier, he had dreamed of the S2000 while dozing off during class, checking off imaginary mod lists chocked full of go-fast goods, body kits and wheels. So when the S2000 beckoned to him a second time, he turned to friend Nick Gasparian of GTS Autobody in Van Nuys, Calif. to source him one from an auction.
It didn't take Gasparian long, and before Perez knew it he was standing next to his very own '02 AP1 with a proud smile on his face. According to Perez, the car was virtually flawless, but Gasparian insisted on dousing the roadster with a fresh coat of paint. The factory Berlina Black was applied and Perez drove away with what he wanted: a reliable, daily driver that radiated driving enjoyment in a grown-up sort of way.
While the idea of owning and driving an S2000 and leaving it in stock condition was a noble one, Perez gave way to temptation only this time he was determined to realize the ultimate compromise between performance and reliability. The upgrading began and, according to Perez, "the habit came back."
For his fix, he turned to the experts at Showstoppers USA in Monrovia, Calif. for direction and advice. Just four months after purchase, Perez tended to body modification in the form of an Amuse front spoiler and C-West rear bumper. Shortly after, he scored a set of Volk Racing CE28Ns, bolted on some Tein RA coilovers and juiced up the brakes with slotted rotors and steel braided lines. The project was quickly coming together, gaining momentum, but at a rate much faster than funds would allow.
Perez received an invitation to appear with his S2000 on a television show but had mixed emotions. While he was eager to unleash his creation to the public, he still felt the car lacked. He turned to his girlfriend and younger brother who, together, loaned him the dough for just what the AP1 called for: a Cusco roll cage.
Following success behind the camera lens, Perez moved on to address the engine. He turned to Myles Bautista and Allen Camero of Rev Hard Racing in Northridge, Calif. for a custom turbocharged solution. The team fitted the 2.0 liter with a GT30 ball bearing turbocharger and a massive front mount intercooler. Bautista and Camero also readied the F20C1 for boost with a 3mm Cometic headgasket designed to lower the compression ratio to boost-friendly status.