2000 Honda S2000

Many times, feeding the need for speed becomes a slow, deliberate struggle against catastrophic setbacks, missed deadlines and a deluge of minor annoyances. Geoff Pascual of West Covina, California, can relate as he fought past epic challenges to bring his dream car to life. The car, a 2000 Honda S2000, was the ultimate hand-me-down and Geoff has been on a mission since he pocketed the keys in 2003.

It has not been smooth sailing. "I bought a product that had not been tested by many people. It was a set of aftermarket camshafts and valvetrain components from a well-known and respected Japanese company. Long story short, the cams failed, and a valve dropped into a piston and boom, slap, I was in deep trouble," says Pascual.

"I thought of putting in a new motor and selling the car. My crew, Freshdrive, and friend, Kevin Serapion, helped me get through it. They encouraged me to stick with it. I must say that the end product exceeded all my expectations.

"My advice to other people who may face blown motors or other major parts failures is, don't give up. If you really love what you do, if you love the chassis or engine or whatever, just keep on building the ride. Something good always stems out of something bad."

Reinvigorated, Pascual rallied and focused his attention on the F20C engine. He wanted something unique, which is getting more difficult with the ever-rising popularity of the S2K.

"First and foremost, the Hytech race header and Formula dual exhaust is probably my best investment in the car," Pascual says. "It made a great amount of power and it sounds ridiculous. For those who have heard my car, there is nothing else out there on the street that sounds like it going through the gears."

Pascual added a Mugen drop-in cone filter and discarded the top portion of the airbox, which opens the filter to the elements while adding a custom look to the engine bay. Next, an AEM EMS was added to the mix. With only two basic mods, why go stand-alone?

Pascual believed there was performance left on the table and he also had stout engine management in case there was forced induction in the S2000's future. The car was strapped to the dyno at Church Automotive and Shawn Church coaxed 247 wheel hp and 164 lb-ft of torque out of the free-revving four-cylinder.

Considering the F20C's flywheel rating of 240 hp, the two basic bolt-ons, an EMS and Church's divine intervention resulted in the engine more than making up for the drivetrain loses, which can be 10 to 15 percent. "I am quite pleased with the little mods I have made," says Pascual. "It shows quality is greater than quantity."