There was no real reason to test the Honda S2000. Outside of incremental modifications and annual new colours selected by Honda Canada, there have been no recent changes to the car.

In fact, the S2000 is virtually a dead duck, Honda having announced earlier this year that 2009 would be the last year of production for this iconic tribute to the classic roadster formula.

So, testing a dying breed may seem pointless, in a way.

But there are exceptions to every rule.

“I just want to say goodbye to an old friend,” I told the Honda folks when I called in my request.

I doubt they were surprised at my plea. Over the years, my annual S2000 bookings had become a bit of an in-house joke at Honda Canada.

“Do you think the new colour this year might be a little faster?” they would tease me every spring as I hemmed, hawed and verbally scrambled for some argument of testing legitimacy.

But, really, can you blame me?

The reason why the car hasn’t changed much is probably the same reason why I kept requesting it over the past decade.

Simply because Honda got it right in the first place.

The S2000 debuted in 1999 to mark Honda’s 50th anniversary, its name linked more to its 2.0-litre engine displacement than to mark the dawning of a new millennium.

The S2000 name also followed Honda’s heritage of the S500, S600 and S800 roadsters of the 1960s.

The S2000 stuck faithfully to a formula established by an earlier Honda Sport Study Model (SSM) concept. It modernized the classic front-engine, rear-wheel-drive British roadster-style layout with a strong “X-bone” frame foundation and lightweight construction including an aluminum hood.

The engine was strategically located behind the front axle, a factor that, along with well thought-out architecture, resulted in a near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution balance.

Early complaints were quickly corrected. An initial plastic backlight was replaced by a glass rear window with defroster. And other refinements over the years included suspension revisions, better audio, a drive-by-wire throttle system and added Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), along with assorted tech, lighting and cosmetic changes.

Sure, it’s easy to tick off the factors that make this car feel dated.

The hazardous tangle of iron around your head that makes up the roof retraction mechanism, a marked contrast to a new age of neatly-folding convertible hardtops. The space-limited, unchanging interior. A retro audio system. The same old digital tachometer and speedo readout. The dual airbag limitations.

But I would be just as quick to refute those criticisms.

The electric-powered top opens quickly and easily. The speedo/tach combo works just fine, thank you. I still get a kick out of the hidden radio panel, the starter button that was a novelty before imitators copied it and the eccentric fuel lid release pull that nobody can find the first time.

Snicking the close-ratio stubby six-speed shifter through the gears reminds me of lapping in Formula Ford racecars. And I love the simplicity of the dash buttons and toggles—audio on the left, HVAC on the right.

Simple and perfect!

Add all that to its exterior elegance, the snake-head-snout and wedge-like profile that still gets me thumbs up from passers-by, and you’ve got a car that looks and performs with timeless elan.

At first glance, my romance with the S2000 may not seem a natural fit. Cramming my six-foot-plus frame and limbs into its confined spaces takes some doing.

I actually have to take my wallet out of my back pocket to gain a few extra millimetres of room.

Even then, I endure honking cars behind me when I forget to crane forward to see the advanced green. And I still have to crab-steer with hands on top of the steering wheel because my knees are in the way, which is not exactly conducive to fast laps in timed autocross events or track testing.

But, so what?

All is forgiven when that gas pedal mashes down and the Formula One-inspired engine erupts with a bellowing honk of acceleration that pushes you down and deeper into the seat back.

Then there’s that little twitch of the rump before the VSA catches control and the thrust seems to grow and grow as the VTEC valve system kicks in and pushes you steadily into the screaming stratosphere of upper rev limits. And that, my friends, never, ever gets old.

A second generation S2000 in 2004 upped engine displacement to a 2.2-litre (2157 cc) 16-valve DOHC VTEC four-cylinder motor that bumped the high-revving, naturally aspirated performance levels to 237 hp, albeit at a slightly lower but still lofty 7,800 rpm and 8,000 rpm redline due to longer piston stroke.

The engine harnesses enough oomph to please at 162 lb/ft. of torque at 6,800 rpm.

Yes, like any diva, the S2000 is easier to love than to live with.

That same, wonderfully accelerating engine sings at a constant 4000 rpm while you’re long-hauling at a semi-legal 120 km/h highway speed, making for loud-voiced conversation and barely audible audio. And the taut suspension bruises, batters and fails what my wife calls “the Tim’s test”, measuring how much takeout coffee gets past your lips instead of onto your lap.

But love demands some sacrifice, after all. And when the snug cabin seem to wrap around you like the cockpit confines of a jinking jet fighter, when that taut suspension swings you unerringly through the corners, when the roaring engine climbs ever higher to a prod of the pedal, you quickly forget about radios, suspension ratios and minor comfort complaints.

This is a true sports car, somewhat demanding but delivering all the power and performance that any driver could desire.

The engine numbers haven’t changed in five years but it still outperforms other roadsters, blowing away the Miata, even the past Mazdaspeed MX-5 version, coming closer to Porsche Boxster power-to-weight ratios.

And despite my emphasis of fun over frugality, as tested, the S2000 delivered a relatively modest 10.5L/100km combined fuel economy average.

Sales in Canada have dwindled to double digits over the past couple of years.

But S2000 fans should still find 2009 models, in six exterior colour choices and with a one-choice black interior, starting for $50,600.

There’s no immediate successor to the S2000 in the works, with future rear-wheel-drive projects scrapped for Honda’s current fuel-economy/hybrid emphasis.

But an OSM roadster concept debuted not long ago and it’s hard to look at the second generation CRZ concept that was unveiled in Tokyo this October without seeing the unmistakable S2000 design DNA in its front end treatment.

Until Honda comes through with something new, I guess I’ll be limited to begging, borrowing and stealing occasional rides in steadily aging S2000s.

Which, like I said, doesn’t leave me with much of a reason to test one.

But with plenty of reasons to drive one.

Honda S2000 2009

Body Style: Performance roadster.

Drive Method: front-engine, rear-wheel drive.

Engine: 2.2-litre, DOHC inline VTEC four-cylinder engine (237 hp, 162 lb/ft).

Fuel Economy: 11.8/8.4L/100 km (city/hwy); As tested: 10.5L/100km (combined)

Price: $50,600.

Web: honda.ca