The S2000 Drifter That Actually Works

The Honda S2000 has lived a strange sort of existence. It’s famed for its incredible powertrain, but its unforgiving nature has divided opinion. There are no better examples of this than the numerous failed attempts of those who have previously tried to build pro-level S2000 drift cars, only to discover that they’re either incredibly difficult to drive or they just don’t work at all.

2015 Honda S2000 2JZ Gatebil Mantorp PMcG-13

So, you can imagine my surprise when I spotted this S2000 rolling through the pit lane, ready to head out into a drift session at Sweden’s recent Gatebil event. I’m an open-minded guy, so I was curious as to how this car/driver combination was going to perform on the high speed Mantorp Park layout. So high speed in fact, that he wasn’t the only driver to remove his rear wing for the event.

2015 Honda S2000 2JZ Gatebil Mantorp PMcG-1

The first couple of passes were promising – the car had good traction and didn’t look snappy or unstable whilst transitioning. Then the driver, Dennis Häggblom, started to add speed and more right foot. That’s when things started getting really impressive. Impressive to the point where I started to think that someone, in true Gatebil fashion of course, had put an S2000 body on an S13 floorpan. Of course, I was wrong. We can’t embed Facebook videos here, but you can check some phone footage from Gatebil on Dennis’ Facebook page.

Are you done watching those? Good. Now you know why I just had to find out more…

2015 Honda S2000 2JZ Gatebil Mantorp PMcG-4

I found Dennis as he was coming back to the pits after a track session, and after a quick introduction he was talking me through his build. Gatebil was his first event in the S2000 and he was still adapting to its chassis.

2015 Honda S2000 2JZ Gatebil Mantorp PMcG-8

The first challenge Dennis faced was relocating the weight. Whilst every effort has been made to keep weight down, what weight that is left has been either kept to within the confines of the suspension mounting points and even slightly forward as well, which helps the car remain stable under transition.

2015 Honda S2000 2JZ Gatebil Mantorp PMcG-6

The F20C is long gone and in its place a Valtonen Motorsport built 2JZ, making around 850hp with help from a large Holset turbocharger. But it’s not the power that makes this car – it’s how it put its power down and its ability to manoeuvre in a predictable and competitive manner.

2015 Honda S2000 2JZ Gatebil Mantorp PMcG-9

The car is sprung with FEAL coilovers, but for the rest of the suspension work Dennis employed his friend Sebastian Sundfors (SSP) to create an entirely custom setup for the S2000. The result speaks for itself, but as Dennis told me, he’s still learning the car’s nuances which he says is the most fun part of a new build.

2015 Honda S2000 2JZ Gatebil Mantorp PMcG-12

The inside (can you class an ‘outdoor’ office as inside?) is your typical pro drift car affair with just the bare minimum on display, thanks in part to a Haltech digital dash.

2015 Honda S2000 2JZ Gatebil Mantorp PMcG-11

The car also runs a hard top, but it wasn’t required at Gatebil thanks to unusually good weather.

2015 Honda S2000 2JZ Gatebil Mantorp PMcG-1-2

Probably my favourite aspect of the entire project, however, is Dennis’ attitude and contagious levels of enthusiasm for drifting. Where most see obstacles and stumbling blocks, he sees them as legitimate opportunities which are to be enjoyed. I’m already excited to see this car in action again later this year!

Paddy McGrath
Instagram: pmcgphotos
Twitter: pmcgphotos
paddy@speedhunters.com

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1

Why aren't s2k's good for drifting? From my end it would seem like a great choice, but then we usually do see them at more grip-oriented events.

2

The car is too balanced.. which makes for a great handling car, but a car prone to snap oversteer. Front heavy cars tend to drift well because they generate a nice pendulum effect that causes the car to rotate progressively(?).
You can drift an s2000, it's just not easy.

3

Holset's are awesome :) Looks lika a hx55

4

Alex Pfeifer did it right more than 10 years ago. And won with it.

5

@dude There's a massive difference between a pro class car today and ten years ago in fairness. Out of genuine curiosity, what event?

6

YES! I wanted to see a feature of this S2K!

7

id love to see it honda powered as well i love the JZ's as much as anyone but just being a honda guy i would like to see it. kinda let down buy the huge build up of a recent FD s2000 that resulted in being far from capable.

8

adamindet I think Chris Jenneret(sp?) was trying to run one in FD last year with the F20, and he never made it past qualifying. The car looked like it was constantly fighting him, like almost all S2000 drift cars. I think the engine had plenty of power, but its getting the chassis to let go of the inherent grip that's built into it. I think S2000's and Porsches are two of the hardest drift cars to build, since both chassis have been massively  developed for grip from the first drawing.

9
DennisHaggblom

Its a hx50mfs powering the Engine at this moment. U0001f601

10
DennisHaggblom

Hi, as the owner of this car I can only say that it's a challenge to get a s2k dancing in slowmo, cause it has so massive grip and always want to go fast and straight. Since I love challenges and to do be a bit crazy things we decided to give this beast and bad named car in drift culture a second chance, and I love this journey. U0001f601
Hats of to those who like to take the tougher road to reach their goals, and make the journey also a part of the dream.

11

Now that someone has taken the time to properly reengineer the suspension geometry be able to drift. Will these suspension arms be available for purchase sometime in the future? Or are they just a one off special?... It would be cool to start seeing more s2000's at events.

12
mbretschneider

DennisHaggblom Thanks for dropping by! Your work is amazing!
Is there a forum thread where we can check it in detail?
Congratulations again, i love seeing all the different cars gatebil has to show. Even living on the other side of the pond i wanna go to the event someday

13
mbretschneider

D1RGE adamindet Dont forget the porsche's rear engine configuration, wich shifts the weight in an less-than-ideal shape for drifting

14

Whats the point of those wing brackets if he isnt even running a wing?

15

DieterManero Think long and hard and I'm sure you will work this one out.

16
Nicholas J OGara

LOL

17

Paddy McGrath Pfeifer ran in Formula D as well as D1.

18

D1RGE adamindet Eh, Chris' car uses K24 right from the start, not F20.

19
DennisHaggblom

Yes both front and rear arms will be available for purchase in a close future but still want to drive my self and test them properly before we make them available.

20

I have been campaigning a S2000 in Texas FD ProAm. The car will work for drifting but you have to be committed to the chassis. We have managed to qualify top 10 in 2 of our 3 events we have attended. I don't recommend the S2000 as a drift car unless you are willing to be fully committed to the chassis.

21

D1RGE adamindet Chris Jeanneret is competing in Pro2 competition this year which so far has only been at Orlando. Unfortunately he still didn't make it past qualifying at that event either. Hope he can get the bugs worked out by the time FD Monroe rolls around.

22

jay8393 D1RGE adamindet Thanks for the correction :)

23

mbretschneider D1RGE adamindet Trust me I seriously loved McQ's porsche, Looked fantastic and was faster than a scalded cat! I think I read that the maintenance was too expensive (bumpers alone were the cost of an S13 shell) so it went back to road course duty

24

Jeff Kurtz Awesome :):) Please prove it works!!!

25

We are doing our best. The car and I get better every event. You can follow us at Drift2k on Facebook and instagram

26

Fuck, I'm just seeing this now!

27

There was a RSR S2k that used to drift back in the day.. Wonder whatever happened to it...

28

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