“Fast and Furious” is all about insane driving scenes, action, stunts, and most of all, pimped out cars. Fans of the franchise have created community forums and webpages dedicated solely to the automobiles that appear in the movies. Interestingly enough, the Blockbuster productions seem to have vehicles designed for all tastes and preferences. There was Suki’s Barbie pink Honda S2000, which seemed too feminine for this franchise. We also got to see Letty’s modified Nissan 240SX and Jakob Toretto’s (aka John Cena) Ford Mustang GT350.
Elsewhere, Dominic Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger is already a legend among the franchise’s fans. But despite the cool rides, one car, in particular, caught our attention and that was a Honda S2000 from “The Fast and the Furious” movie.
In the first installment of the saga, Johnny Tran was the ultimate bad boy, so he needed the baddest car that producers could find. Unsurprisingly, his 1999 Honda S2000 was exactly what we’d expect a villain or the King of the racing underworld to drive. While, in the movie, Johnny Tran’s character has invested a staggering $100,000 to pimp his ride, normally, a Honda S2000 retails for far less. Although it is worth noting that back in 2021, a S2000 CR sold for $117,111 on Bring a Trailer.
Originally, The Johnny Tran's Honda Was Supposed To Be A Mustang
Picture this: Johnny Tran driving his Ford Mustang while Brian O’Conner is playing undercover cop and Dominic Toretto is chasing the rival gang. It just doesn’t look right. As much as we appreciate a pony car, the Ford Mustang is out of place in this storyline, but in the original script that was Tran’s car.
According to Motor Authority, selecting the Ford Mustang as Tran’s car “didn’t make sense in a movie about tuner cars.” The digital publication also mentions that producers went with the S2000 after seeing a modified black S2000. Supposedly, they thought the bad guys have to ride in black cars. Another movie legend says that the Mustang was dropped because the car was unpopular with the Asian tuner crowd.
Johnny Tran's Honda S2000: The Hero Car And The Replicas
Before the franchise became such a global phenomenon, the budget was limited, so producers were struggling to find and secure the most tuner-friendly cars. Unsurprisingly, they tried to get around the problem by renting some cool vehicles in the first installment. For instance, Johnny Tran’s Honda S2000 was leased from RJ DeVera aka Danny Yamato, who had a barely-there cameo in the “Fast and Furious” franchise.
Although Yamato had minimal screen time, his Honda played a bigger role, and clearly stole the show. As for the movie producer, after securing the Hero car, they went on and built nothing less than three replicas.
Johnny Tran's Honda S2000 Had The Best Styling
While Tran’s Honda might not have $100,000 under the hood, it sure looks like a million bucks. Every angle of Tran’s Honda S2000 seems designed to impress and scare at the same time. The Veilside Millennium body kit and Wing is even today retailed for thousands of dollars, but most car aficionados agree that the complete kit is worth every penny. Not only that, but Tran’s car also had the track-oriented Motegi wheels of 18 x 8.5.
Naturally, this helped the Honda reach the top speed of 155 miles per hour, and accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.4 seconds. The Honda S2000 also reached the quarter mile in 13.7 seconds at 101 miles per hour. Without a doubt, the 295 horsepower without nitrous (and 370 horsepower with nitrous) found under the hood have helped Johnny Tran win all the races before.
Production Reused Tran's Honda S2000 For A Different Movie And Character
As mentioned earlier, the tight budget was forcing directors and producers to come up with innovative ideas; so apart from renting the cars, they were also reusing them. Gearheads and “Fast and Furious” fans have spent years raving about Johnny Tran’s and Suki’s cars. And that is because they are exactly the same vehicle!
Despite the Shimrin pink color and feminine graphics, Suki’s Honda S2000 is in reality Tran’s black, villain-like and very aggressive vehicle. Initially, the plan was to have Suki drive a Toyota MR2 Spyder for the "2 Fast 2 Furious" movie. To that end, producers even bought four Toyota cars hoping to customize them, but ultimately, they dropped the idea altogether and turned their attention to the Honda S2000. After repainting it in a more feminine shade, upholstering the interior in the same Barbie pink color, and dressing the exterior in anime graphics, Suki’s Honda S2000 was ready for screen time.