Honda S2000 AP1

Built for Honda's 50th anniversary, the AP1 put a 2.0-litre F20C behind the front axle line and revved it to 9,000 rpm, which is the number people still lead with. The trade-off was a narrow powerband that demanded constant work through the six-speed gearbox. US-market dating: the AP1 ran 1999-2003 here and the revised AP2 followed in 2004 with a 2.2-litre engine, but Japanese, Australian and European cars kept the 2.0 and stayed AP1 to the end of production.