It has taken eight years but now the Honda S2000 is the sports car it should always have been.

From its launch in 2000, the two-seater was a stylish alternative to its rivals and its engine one of the sportiest, but it was biased more towards comfort than competitiveness.

But for the MY2008 version, Honda has looked to the east and adopted the sharper chassis settings so beloved of the Japanese enthusiasts in the S2000 Type S version. This now becomes the standard production setting for the UK specification models.

It is really a change for the better, bringing sharper responses and even better handling than the previous generation of the car, which has been largely unchanged in eight years.

In that time, Honda UK has sold about 8,000 of the S2000 models, peaking shortly after launch but then settling down to just under 1,000 models annually.

With the new sporting edge to the S2000, Honda hopes to once again lift sales above 1K a year.

Honda UK head of public relations Paul Ormond said, “This is the first major change the S2000 has had since it was launched.

“Sales went up in the first few years but have since averaged about 1,000 a year, but with this new model now on sale we expect it may reach 1,200 units this year, although it is a volatile market.”

The 240PS four-cylinder 1997cc engine is mated to a six-speed close ratio gearbox and drives the rear wheels in traditional fashion so beloved of enthusiasts.

It comes with a folding electric roof, air conditioning, leather trim, 17-inch alloys, powered windows and mirrors as well as central locking, twin airbags, keyless entry with button starter and sophisticated immobiliser and alarm. You can specify a range of additional body kit options, selection of sound systems and premium interior treatment.

The 2.0 litre engine gives the car a 150mph maximum with 0- 62mph in a claimed 6.2sec and Honda says it will average 28mpg. It produces 236gkm, warranty is for 3yrs/ 90K and it falls into insurance group 20 and VED band F.

There are 11 colour schemes in metallic or pearl finishes with five leather colours for the interior to match them.

In a very brief first drive of the new Honda S2000 its agility seemed better than ever.

The precision rifle-bolt action of the six-speed box, the feel and fluidity of the electric steering, progression of the ventilated/ sold disc brakes and the compliance of the suspension all emphasised its sportiness and suppleness.

There is, as expected in such a powerful four cylinder engine, a lot of noise when it’s pressed to perform and while the road noise is also immediately obvious, the ride quality is not too hard.

A strict two-seater with 143 litres boot, the Honda S2000 has limited practicality but it does deliver a lot of dynamic qualities nevertheless.

To many drivers brought up with front wheel drive hot hatches or sports cars, the latest Honda S2000 does not hold any nasty surprises but instead holds a lot of fun at the fingertips.