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one reason is for weight distribution. the s2000 has a 50:50 front/rear weight distribution, which is essential for any car that wants to achieve very good cornering. since the engine is the heaviest part of the car (besides the frame itself), most cars (not the s2000) have wieght distributions higher in the front than in the back (like our civics which is like 60:40). notice our engines are kinda near the front of the engine bay, and that for people with strut tower bars, it is behind the engine itself. look in the s2000 engine bay, the engine is way back there, completely behind the front axle (so if it had a tower strut bar, the engine sits behind it). with most of the weight now farther back in the car, the s2000 can achieve its 50:50 wieght distribution.

now this is from speculation:

since the engine is mounted vertically (instead of horizantally like our civics and most other i-4 cars with FWD), the tranmission and driveshaft extends from the back of the engine to the rear axle, since the s2000 is RWD. with the engine already back as far as it is, the driveshaft then can be shorter, which sheds a bit of wieght.

IMO, the longer hood just looks cooler

 
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I've driven both. I like the s2k a lot. It drives very well and I feel it's a more forgiving car handling wise. However, you're also comparing a car that has a few years of real world R&D to a car that has had 6 months of real world R&D. I like the handling of the 8 better in the sense that I feel it's easier to get the car to transfer from understeer to oversteer than the s2k, but like many have said it's a matter of opinion. Most side by side tests have compared the two cars closely in most areas.

 
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Thanks for explaining that, skarteez. My friend popped the hood on his S2000 the other night and I was like "**** damn, Alex. Why is there so much space left? You could fit a small block Chevy in there."

 
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eh, just test drive the two of them. I'd get the RX-8, but only because I need to have more space for more passengers.