I have previously discussed how the Honda S2000 is a rare car to see on the street, and how seing a modified one is even more rare. Ironically, we’re here to discuss another modified S2000, owned by my friend Tyler Thurman. There’s perks to being an automotive photographer after all.
Thurman has owned his 2002 Honda S2000 for around 4 years. “The day I bought it, cylinder 2 lost compression. I ended up getting the motor fully built. While the motor was being built, I did a full color change on it and painted it pearl white. Later on I ended up painting it a blue called Miami Beach.”
Thurman’s S2000 in Pearl White.
Like many of us, Thurman’s automotive addiction has been around for many years. “I wanna say I started getting into cars around 8 or 9 years old. I remember coming home from school and turning the tv on to watch Dukes of Hazzard every day. When I was younger I really was into mustangs, but when I got older is when I got into Hondas. My first car was a 1997 Honda Civic. I got it when I was 16 years old.”
Thurman might have the largest list of ‘owned vehicles’ of anyone I know. When I asked how many cars he’d owned in his life, he replied with a short: “I think I’m on number 37.”
Thurman works as an automotive painter, which explains the somewhat frequent color changes of the car. “I got a job at Pinkerton Chevy (now Tinney’s) doing preparation work and worked my way up from there. My boss put me in the booth one day and that was it. He said it was like I knew how to paint all along, but in reality I’d never done it before.
When I asked why he chose the S2000, Thurman’s response was both familiar and sentimental. “Fast and furious for starters. When I was in high school, a friend of mine that passed away had one and we always just rode through town. That’s what really made me want one.”
Thurman’s S2000 has been tastefully modified with an AP2 front and rear bumper, CR front lip, and a Grip Royal steering wheel. The car rides on BC coilovers and 17x9.5 Volk Racing TE37sl’s. In my opinion, this is the perfect set up for a daily driven S2000.
“I wish when I was younger that I would’ve learned more about stocks, money, and investing. That was something that I never learned in school. That’s something that most people gate keep and don’t help others out with. I always tell myself that God will put his strongest soldiers through the toughest battles. Basically no matter what you go through, no matter what life throws at you, God has a plan for you and everything will happen for the right reasons. Never let someone else tell you what you need to do to your car or truck. Do what makes you happy.”
True to his advice of doing what makes you happy, Thurman sent me this impromptu photo of himself to use for this article. I think there must be something in the interior of these S2000 guys’ cars that makes them send me these pictures of themselves for my articles.