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Curious, isn't it, that cars that really don't need any more power are the ones with the proverbial magnet in their glovebox when it comes to attracting motive force. With 240 hyperventilating horsepower from its 9000-rpm 2.0-liter inline-4, Honda's S2000 already straddles the specific power summit. With but 2800 lb. to motivate, does the roadster really need 118 bhp more zing?

Silly question. For proof, consider this supercharged example. Built by Vortech Engineering to prototype their S2000 blower kit, the silver droptop uses a belt-driven centrifugal supercharger to build upon the Honda's already prodigious top-end power. The result is a wailing 358-bhp rush that propels the once nattily efficient Honda into the realm of the exotics. To put numbers to it, the stock S2000 we tested at Buttonwillow Raceway Park as part of our "Modern Gladiators" (September 2000 issue) ran the quarter mile in 14.1 seconds at 99.6 mph, while the Vortech-assisted machine ripped through the same exercise in 13.8 sec. at 105.6 mph.

With the S2000's 2.0-liter VTEC engine set well back in the chassis, there's plenty of room for Vortech's centrifugal supercharger, aftercooler and considerable plumbing. Installation and bracketry are first-rate, and if you're willing to keep your foot in the throttle long enough, so is the S2000's high-speed acceleration.

To better put the blown S2000's white-hot top-end into perspective, understand that the 6-mph gain in quarter-mile speed really didn't get rolling until halfway down the track. In the 0-to-60-mph sprint the supercharger pared but a tenth of a second — 5.5 sec. versus 5.4 — off our stock benchmark. Shorter sidewall tires and stiffer springs are some of the explanation, as is, interestingly, the extra power because it limited launch rpm. Our test notes show the stock Honda was able to use over 1000 more rpm at the launch — a trick that would have enveloped the supercharged car in tire smoke.

Vortech's V-2 SQ (Super Quiet) supercharger and air-to-water aftercooler team to give nearly 8 lb. of boost. Similar to a turbocharger, the centrifugal blower ramps up boost faster than engine rpm, so the system is sized to puff a bare pound of boost at 4000 engine rpm and climb to the maximum windage by 9000 rpm.

This means power is stone stock up to 4000 rpm and doesn't increase meaningfully until somewhere around the unmistakable VTEC cam-shift at 6000 rpm where the Vortech is supplying 3.5 lb. of boost. With no internal engine modifications, the stock power remains perfectly tractable at puttering speeds.

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