Understanding baT Auction Success Story: Payam9999’s Honda S2K Feels Just Right
Our latest Success Story comes to us from payam9999, who won this AP1 S2000 from Prescott_Collection in a December 2025 BaT auction:
For nine years, the S2000 sat firmly at the top of my dream-car list. The spark started when I watched Jeremy Clarkson drive an AP1 on the Isle of Man alongside Richard Hammond in a BMW Z4 and James May in a Porsche Boxster on Top Gear.
The S2000 just “felt” different—it was high-revving and razor sharp, and unapologetically focused. From that moment on, I knew I’d eventually have one.
Life, of course, has a way of stretching “eventually” into years. But the dream never faded. I wanted an unmodified, low-mileage example—the kind of car that still felt the way Honda intended it to be. When I finally found this 40k-mile car, it felt less like a purchase and more like a long-overdue reunion with something I’d already committed to in my mind nearly a decade earlier.
The best part? I didn’t let it sit.
Almost immediately after bringing it home, I packed a bag and headed for Las Vegas to watch a Golden Knights game. There was no better way to bond with the car than a spontaneous road trip. The desert B-roads gave me exactly what I imagined all those years in the S2K: a soaring run to redline, the mechanical precision of each shift, and the feeling that the car shrunk around you the faster and smoother you drove it.
Hours behind the wheel flew by. The S2000 isn’t about raw power—it’s about rhythm. Keep the revs up and be smooth with it, and it rewards you with a kind of analog clarity that has become increasingly rare. I pulled into the glow of the Las Vegas Strip and parked it with the engine ticking softly as it cooled. Then, I realized this wasn’t just a dream fulfilled—it was a reminder of why I became a car enthusiast in the first place.
A few months in, every drive still feels like the first one. After nine years of wanting, waiting, and watching, the S2000 hasn’t just lived up to expectations. It’s exceeded them.
If you have a Success Story about a car you’ve bought or sold on BaT, please send a few lines and pictures (or a video) to community.content@bringatrailer.com, and we’ll send you a $50 credit to the BaT Gear Store when your story posts to the site.
We love to hear from satisfied BaT buyers and sellers, and a Success Story feature is a great addition to any car’s history when you’re ready to sell.
