Enrico Ottavo

Laguna Blue Pearl 2007 Honda S2000

That's Enrico just a couple of days after we  bought him.

Since the sale of Sophia, Mel and I had used Moggie as our second car. That worked reasonably well during the few nice summer months, but very poorly the rest of the time. Moggie's weather equipment left a lot to be desired. It was not completely water tight and took far too long to put up when we got caught in a shower. We decided in late September 2009 that we should acquire a more practical second car.

So now you are laughing and asking, 'That's a more practical second car?' Yes, actually it is. Enrico has a trunk, albeit not very large, and a watertight top that goes up in a few seconds at the touch of a button. He has a very effective heater and air conditioning, and a sound system that you can actually hear other than when standing still. The trunk is large enough to hold all the luggage we need when traveling, and a full week's groceries when we are at home. And because it is locked storage, I don't have to wait outside with the groceries after the first shopping stop.

Next you are asking, 'What's this Enrico Ottavo stuff?' Well, Enrico is our eighth Honda, not counting Moggie with her S2000 engine. So I named him Henry the Eighth. However, I couldn't quite see myself calling him Henry so I fell back on our Italian studies and named him Henry the Eighth in Italian. And, of course, we call him Enrico (actually Rico) for short.

He's definitely snug, but is really quite comfortable. Although suspended like the sports car that he is, the ride is quite decent. He is admittedly a bit noisy, but nowhere near as much so as Moggie. The acceleration was no surprise after my experience with Moggie, but the handling was. Rico handles as if he was on rails. And he is so much easier to drive than Moggie. Mel finds the clutch in Moggie very stiff, and steering at low speeds takes muscle. So yes, he is a more practical second car. And being a Honda, I have no doubt that he will serve us well.