In 2018 Honda will turn 70, and it has a present in mind for itself that’s fit for a spry 30-year-old:
A shiny new S2000.
Honda wouldn’t give itself just any S2000 for such a special occasion, though. Certainly not a used model. Instead, Honda plans on building a brand new version of the sporty roadster, and sharing it with the rest of us in celebration.
Yes, after many years of speculation, rumors, and hope, a new version of the Honda S2000 could be just around the corner.
The first S2000 launched in 1998 and coincided with the automaker’s 50th birthday. That car lasted until 2009 and the rumors of a revival began almost immediately after it ended production. Honda instead focused on building an all-new NSX and the diminutive S660 roadster.
The S660 won’t make it to the U.S and the NSX is about to hit showrooms here. With those projects complete, the Honda R&D staff has some time on its hands and a successor to the S2000 is a perfect way to fill it.
Car and Driver seems to have a mysterious source at Honda who says the S2000 replacement will be here in 2018. That source said,
Size-wise, it’ll be similar to the Mazda MX-5 Miata, but the Honda will have a lot more power.
So far so good, right?
Little else is known except that the engine could be a version of the Civic Type R’s 2.0-liter turbo. That car is good for a whopping 310 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque at just 2500 rpm. The zero-to-62 (100 km/hr) dash happens in 5.7 seconds, with a top speed of 167 mph.
The new S2000 could weigh about the same as the Type R, somewhere between 2,900 and 3,100 pounds, so performance numbers should be similar.
With the Type R, the new NSX, and the potential for a new S2000, Honda appears to be in the process of working some soul back into its brand. In the last decade or so, Honda has built some well-made transportation appliances but hasn’t done much to tap into its robust performance heritage.
Here’s to hoping the S2000’s revival starts to change that.
Would you be interested in a new Honda S2000?
-tgriffith
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Used Honda S2000
Used Acura NSX
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