Let me be clear. An S2000 only shows its true value when it’s being driven. Spending time letting it sit in a parking lot like a paperweight is nothing but a loss in life.
Thanks to the “3 AM Battery Replacement Mission” the other day, my partner has been brilliantly resurrected. So, the next move is already decided: A Rehab Drive.
I headed to “Yahagi Dam,” a sacred spot for drivers that Aichi Prefecture takes pride in. To get straight to the point, both the “Best” and the “Worst” existed there simultaneously.
This is the route from this video. Since I only cut out a specific section, it’s short overall, but you can get a general sense of the atmosphere.
■ Awakening VTEC, a Roar Echoing Through the Sanctuary
The moment I turned the key, the F20C woke up on the first try. As expected, there was no error in choosing the ACDelco (AMS60B24L) recommended by the GT mechanic.
On the way, as I stepped deep into the throttle, the shock of “that moment” when the VTEC switches over shot through my entire body. Listen to this roar. This sound echoing through the mountains of Yahagi is the logical answer I wanted to reclaim. Period.
Hearing this sound thundering in the digital world, the guilt of leaving the car sitting for a month and a half vanished in an instant.
■ The Ultimate Luxury Named “Convertible”
The sky was perfectly clear that day. In that case, there’s no reason not to open the top. All the hardship of working in the dead of night while worrying about the neighbors’ eyes melted away into the wind and sound.
“This is it! This is exactly what the S2000 is about!”
I raced through the winding roads to Yahagi Dam with the VTEC sound as my BGM. At that moment, I was undoubtedly the freest dad in the world. …Well, until “that moment” arrived.
■ The Price of Freedom is Paid in “Tears.”
Now, here is the main point. Sharp-witted readers have likely already noticed. What dominates the Japanese skies during this season is not the breeze of freedom. It’s “Pollen.”
I suffer from hay fever. Before heading out, I carefully blasted my nose with nasal spray and applied eye drops as if I were fueling up for the battlefield (the mountain pass). I thought, “My defenses are perfect. I am invincible today.”
But I underestimated the machine known as a convertible. Driving hard through winding roads with the roof wide open all day is synonymous with “becoming a giant vacuum cleaner and inhaling pollen at full power.”
What awaited me upon returning home was not the lingering glow of emotion. It was an unstoppable runny nose. And tears overflowing as if a dam had burst.
The next day, my eyes reflected in the mirror were swollen as if I had just finished a boxing match, and I ended up having the worst day, unable to sleep a wink due to the itching.
Let me be clear. The price of freedom was far too high.
However, I have no regrets. Even now, as I sit at my PC with bloodshot, swollen eyes writing this article, my heart is still racing through the winding roads of Yahagi Dam.
関連投稿:
S2000 Battery Upgrade: My Lonely Battle Against the “Ghost of 2021” in a Silent Midnight Garage
[Supreme] If You Don’t Open the Roof of Your S2000, You’re Missing Half of Your Life! …Or So I’d Like to Say, But Reality Isn’t That Sweet.
[The Secret] Car Wash Techniques to Make Your S2000 Last a Lifetime. The Identity of the “Magic Coating Agent” I’ve Used for 20 Years
Honda S2000: The Evolution of AP1 & AP2. How Many Times Has This “Beautiful Weapon” Almost Killed Us?
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