Believe it or not, building a Honda S2000 with 300 hp is actually not that hard to do, but if you’re trying to do it with a Civic Type R engine, then it’s even harder. Fortunately, the folks over at Science of Speed are willing to take on the project and will cover what it takes to swap in one of the best engines that Honda has ever made into one of the best sports cars that the automaker has ever created.

Who is Science of Speed?

Science of Speed is a tuner shop and parts retailer that specializes in the Honda S2000 and the Acura NSX. They are based out of Chandler, Ariz., and have been working on these cars for many years and provide S2000 and NSX owners with OEM and aftermarket parts for their cars.  Science of Speed is also known for their supercharger and turbochargers kits, but they are also one of the few authorized Honda Performance Development parts distributors that can sell Honda parts like the K20C1 crate engine that was recently released for public purchase.

Why would anyone want to swap a K20C1 engine into their S2000?

Other than the sheer fact that the Civic Type R (K20C1) engine produces 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque (at the flywheel) from the factory, this particular swap would be of interest to anyone that’s in need of a new engine in their S2000. While it might make more sense to source a used S2000 engine in that case, the issue is that S2000 engines are quite expensive on the used market and they no longer offered as new from Honda.

As such, swapping in a brand-new K20C1 engine sounds like a pretty good idea, especially considering the new crate engine is now available with the engine control unit, wire harness, and an accelerator pedal for an easier installation into another vehicle.

Fitting a Civic Type R K20C1 engine into an S2000 has some potential issues

If you’re familiar with the Honda S2000, then you probably know that it’s a rear-wheel-drive roadster with a longitudinally mounted engine. The current Honda Civic Type R, on the other hand, is a front-wheel-drive platform with a transversely mounted engine. As you can imagine, fitting an engine that’s normally transversely mounted into its normal chassis could be tough to mount into a car with a longitudinal-mounted engine. Just think of it as fitting a square peg into a round hole.

However, all is not lost, considering there are currently S2000s out on the street right now with K20 engines bolted beneath their hoods. No, not from the Civic Type R, but from the older Acura RSX and TSX. In those swaps, the owners had to source aftermarket mounts, radiators, and use an adaptor plate to mount the engine with the existing S2000 transmission. I would imagine that Science of Speed would have to figure out how to do the same thing, so they definitely have their work cut out for them.