japan | LENSPEED

Singapore: the march in of auto companies

By The Lenspeed Team

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd (FHI) has just announced the launch of a representative office in Singapore, comprising a grand total of 3 staff. Although seemingly insignificant news, this is part of a wider push by the company to do feasibility and research studies about the region for further expansion of Subaru. It has identified ASEAN as a future growth region after finding success in China, Australia, Japan and especially the United States.

This is of course something we have seen before with other auto firms. Today, there are more than a handful of car manufacturers which have set up regional offices in Singapore, a fact that is still unknown to much of the Singaporean populace whose hopes of owning a car have been left high and dry. And rightfully, they would be feeling bewilderment at first too – why Singapore, one of the most hostile places for cars in the world?

As it seems, things can thrive in other ways. These manufacturers do not set up offices in Singapore to actually sell cars here; taking advantage of the business-friendly environment, low taxes, offshore banking facilities and great transport links to the world, Singapore has emerged as an ideal hub from which to manage the automotive business across Asia. China has proven to be too politically attached and polluted, while Japan is not as globalised as Singapore is for business. Hong Kong is a viable alternative, which is why some companies, like Infiniti, have their head office there. But mostly in Asia, they’re in Singapore or they’re moving here.

Among the big names with operations here, just to name a few: Porsche AG, BMW Group, Daimler AG, Jaguar Land Rover and most recently General Motors. It’s a bit like having candy in a bed of thorns. All inaccessible to the general population, but there they are…

What’s good news, however, is that car enthusiasts in Singapore who may not be able to buy a car can most certainly rejoice in the fact that they may find it easier now to work for a car manufacturer, with more openings in this industry than ever before for Singaporeans. If you love cars but find them too expensive to buy, this is your next best option, and admittedly a pretty good one… You’d have to travel across the world (mostly halfway or more) to find another auto regional office to work for! And in Singapore, they’re located in swanky places too, like Ocean Financial Centre and Raffles Place…

FD2R Update: 115,000km and running

By Gerald Yuen

It has been quite a while since I last posted updates on the FD2R. That could work both ways… either that I’m not learning anything new from the car, or I’m busy wringing every drop of performance out of the K20A.

But it would be ridiculous to harp on the former, because the manner in which it delivers driving pleasure on an emotional level the past two years still engages me as a driver. We’ve made a couple of tweaks along the way. Most obvious change would be to swap the stock suspension for a set of aftermarket coilovers from APi Racing (tuned to the softest setting). I was against this idea initially, but it would be utterly selfish for me to make my family withstand a harsh ride during dinner outings. And my dad uses the car 80% of the time for work, so that works out to be a no-brainer.

The softer ride gives it more fluidity when darting through bumps and cambers, and I could keep it on the boil more regularly without the fear of the rear hopping wide, and this translates to more traction as the dampers labour to gather more grip. Initial turn in does not feel as sharp as before, with the front leaning more towards understeer on part throttle. But once you give it more angle, the stiff rear (although less jarring than the OEM setup) can still hold ground effectively.

It wasn’t easy switching from proven OEM setup to one that has yet to demonstrate its worth. But to be honest, I’m very satisfied with this swap. The OEM suspension is way too stiff on our pockmarked tarmac (the rear dampers are 300% stiffer than the regular FD2). Now, there’s more reason to utilise the K20A’s top end rush without the fear of losing traction over irregularities.

Milestone: behind the wheel of an S2000 Type-S (AP2)

By James Wong

It’s rather irrational, this Honda craze. After all, the natural progression for a typical Singaporean car buyer is to go from a mass-market Japanese car to, eventually, a ‘continental’ car (understood to mean European and American brands) which has supposedly better safety, performance and handling but at a price. While this traditional view takes some beating nowadays, I go quite completely opposite and am cherishing Japanese cars more than I ever did. In fact, I am quite sick of German cars that have been my mainstay for the past 2-3 years. You could say it is just childish indecision or naive ‘avoid the herd’ mentality, but I am certain I am changing to a Japanese car next. About why, that’s for another article. Right now, let’s focus our attention on the S2000.

There is no link between the car’s launch in 1999 and its ’2000′ nomenclature to signal the new century. Rather, it is so named because of its engine displacement – a 2L engine also known as the F20C that has the famed 9,000rpm redline. The engine that replaced it in the AP2 models is the 2.2L F22C1 that reportedly had a more usable torque curve with the sacrifice of a lower redline (8,200rpm). Both are good for around 240PS and around 220Nm of torque. Astounding numbers for an engine of that size, which Honda seems to churn out effortlessly. In fact, the S2000′s engines have one of the highest power-to-displacement ratios of any production engine ever produced.

Sampled in this article is the F22C1. Although the paper figures are mightily impressive, make no mistake – against modern machines, the S2000 is not a fast accelerating car. In fact, it feels like something from the appetizer menu next to the main course full-on K20A experience in the FD2R (disclaimer: the FD2R I sampled had a Hondata chip up to about 240bhp). What comes to mind is the Accord Euro R CL7, with its milder power delivery than in the FD2R despite having the same engine. The S2000 feels even milder. In fact, I felt it a bit difficult to figure out whether VTEC has kicked in simply because its effect is almost like a heady top-end of a sporty naturally aspirated engine, very much unlike the huge step-up of power, noise and acceleration that the K20A brings when on VTEC. However, every zing to the redline is an event; multiple downshifts are necessary to access the top-end power but when you get there it is thrilling just like in any great Honda: sound deadening is minimal and you get to hear all of the engine’s wail shrilling through underneath the cabin. The sweep of the digital tachometer never fails to raise heartbeats by a few notches.The gearshift, surely the best I have ever felt in any road car (yes, it unseats even the 997.1 GT3), sweetens the wait for VTEC. If there was any gearshift that defines the cliched expression of a rifle-bolt action, the S2000 can hold its head very high indeed. However, I can’t help but imagine having the K20A under the S2000′s bonnet will surely add a few more stars to the car’s favour.

I didn’t get to bring the car to its handling limits as it was a very wet day and the car was on semi-slick Toyo R888 tyres. Unless I wanted to incur the wrath of my good friend Brendan (and surely the most JDM-crazed and one of the most dedicated car enthusiasts I know), I drove the car exceptionally carefully. However, in its current state, the car is very difficult to live with in a daily basis. Heck, it was just a 20-minute drive and I already had a list of things to moan about!

First, it was the clutch-actuated aftermarket LSD fitted to the car. I honestly felt as if a whole gearbox came out of the undercarriage and was being dragged along the road. I hastened to act as if nothing happened in case Brendan caught a whiff of something wrong with his car, but in actuality there is nothing wrong at all. ‘It’s just the LSD, I forgot to tell you about it’, he muses as I gravely looked upon his car as if I did some offence to it. I honestly didn’t drive it enough to feel its effects, but remembering the same in Brendan’s previous Silvia, it’ll probably be a great step-up in terms of grip. Not something I would install in my daily driver though.

Next were the seats. I must be old. I had a (*(*^^$^^&*() time prying myself out and in from it. No problem if it’s at Sepang, but a big no-no for the road. Good thing then that the car is not overly loud and that it has a comfortable suspension (but still with a front splitter that will repel unfriendly car parks). Well, viewed as a track car, it is fantastic – I am excited just thinking about how it will perform on the track. But as a road car, it is far too compromised. At Lenspeed we like our cars to be used for what they were designed for (or modified for) – so as a package this particular S2000 didn’t really appeal to us on the road. That would be an unfair verdict though. After all, I tested it in its unnatural environment and as such deserves brownie points for being able to be driven on the road at all.

What can’t be denied though is that the S2000 is a very, very special car. This is certainly an epic drive that I can never forget (even if only for 20 minutes). There might be nothing like it ever again. In fact, Honda seems to be straying further and further away from what we love them for. We no longer have the Type-R, let alone the promise or hope of a replacement; we have instead a hybrid sports car (yeah, right) that is currently fronting Honda’s sporty range. Honda killed off the S2000 and has lukewarm plans for a new NSX. What exactly are they doing? It seems that it is following Japan’s near two-decade long lull into irrelevance, alienating its enthusiasts and instead building cars for the mass market. Sure, this would keep the company alive, afloat, but where is the reward for the Honda loyalists? Thankfully, we still have the old Honda cars which we can buy, which is what most enthusiasts are doing now. Let’s just hope Honda will follow Toyota/Subaru’s lead in the GT86 and re-engage the enthusiast again to rekindle what is most needed at Japan right now: rejuvenation.

So would I buy an S2000? Surely. But a stock one, please – and an AP2 for the torque and sorted handling.

Thank you to Gerald for the pictures and Brendan for letting me drive his vehicle.

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