However, as time went on, Park began to question his decision to go the supercharger route. Since a centrifugal supercharger tends to mimic the power curve of the stock motor, Park says he simply wasn't getting enough low-end grunt to satisfy him, although the car was certainly faster overall. The lack of low-end kick is by far the most common gripe from S2000 owners and the main reason they begin modifying their cars. In Park's case, he realized he needed to start building the motor up again to better suit his needs.
Choosing to stick with forced induction, he decided he would see what lay down the turbo path this time. The Top Fuel system was the way to go so he ordered it from Japan. When it finally arrived he immediately raced to Design Craft in Lake Forest, Calif., for the build.
The block was machined and the head ported. Pistons and rings from CP were fitted, as were rods from Cunningham and bolts from ARP. The compression ratio was lowered to 9.5:1 to allow for the new boost pressure and displacement was upped to 2.1 liters. A BDL fuel rail was installed and fed by a new Walbro 255lph pump. GReddy's oil relocation kit came in handy, along with a B&B oil cooler.
The turbo kit was installed with an internal wastegate, the blow-off valve came from HKS and an intercooler by Blitz. After custom engine mounts were designed, the car re-emerged from Design Craft sporting a fresh HKS GT2535 turbo sucking in air through a Sard system and out through a 3-inch free-breathing exhaust from Spugen. The final touch was a 1052U engine management system from AEM to help every work together smoothly.
Greg Park says this setup is good for 346 hp to the wheels and that number is achieved at nearly the same rpm as the stock motor's peak. Perhaps more importantly, 305 lb-ft of torque is now hitting hard, even below 3,000 rpm. It's safe to say that he got his low-end grunt fix.
Although he never intended for his S2000 to go further than a few bolt-ons, it took the turn down the forced induction path to a supercharger and then onto the current Top Fuel turbo setup. Luckily, he says he's finally finished with this build, after more than $35K in extras. This is easier said than done, unless of course it's true that he's already begun his next project, an Acura NSX.
Bolts & Washers
Greg park's 2002 S2000
Propulsion
The F20C motor is force-fed by a Top Fuel turbo kit with a Blitz intercooler. Internals are from CP, Cunningham and ARP. It is managed by an AEM EMS and feeds power through an Exedy clutch and flywheel.
Stance
Park's S2000 features Function-B6 shocks and springs from Zeal. Opak Racing's front tower brace and Cusco's underbody chassis brace stiffen the car.
Resistance
Project Mu rotors and front calipers help stop the S2000 in a hurry. Pads are also from Project Mu and the brake lines are from Goodridge.
Rims & Rubber
The S2000 has 17x7.5 front and 17x8.5 rear Advan RG II wheels fitted with a set of 225/35 front and 245/35 rear Yokohama ES100 tires. Offset is +43 for the front and +48 at the rear.
Fashion
Exterior:The car features GP Sports front, side and rear skirts. The hardtop, hood and trunk are from Seibon. Kool Kustoms did the paint job.
Interior:Inside are the S2000 sports Exas III seats from Bride and Willans four-point harnesses. Additional info is displayed on Blitz gauges. The steering wheel has been swapped to one from an '05 S2000 and the pedals are from Project Mu.
I.c.e.
The entertainment system features a Xenarc Technologies touchscreen computer monitor as its centerpiece. The sound comes through Sony component speakers and a Kicker subwoofer. The setup also features a PS2 and a Pentium 3 mini PC.