Could a new Honda S2000 be coming for 2024?
12-01-20 | 09:04 AM
#1
Could a new Honda S2000 be coming for 2024?
The iconic Honda S2000 starred in the hit movie 2 Fast 2 Furious, is a must-have car in the driving game Gran Turismo, and sold over 70,000 units in the U.S. over a ten year span. It also just happens to be one of the best handling sports cars of the 2000’s and was much lauded for its high-revving 2.0-liter engine and industry-leading tight, short-throw 6-speed manual gearbox. When it went out of production in 2009, enthusiasts everywhere started enquiring about a second generation model.
Well that wait may be over. According to a source close to Honda, the brand’s marketing gurus are seriously considering the launch of a next-generation S2000 that could surface to celebrate the coupe’s 25th anniversary in 2024. But it will have a lot more power.
Based on the now-out-of-production model, a 20th Anniversary Prototype S2000 was revealed at the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon back in January to celebrate the car’s anniversary and to keep expectation levels high for a possible future comeback.
Just how much the Covid pandemic will delay plans for the car’s introduction are unclear, but the small niche market for reasonably priced sports cars remains strong.
Body proportions for the new S2000 will apparently remain similar to the original model, but with slimmer headlights and more aluminum and carbon-fiber will be used in construction to keep weight down below 3000 lbs.
The juiciest details will undoubtedly surround the car’s expected powertrain. In contrast to the original coupe’s 250 hp naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, the new model is strongly rumored to employ a tweaked version of the current Civic Type R’s 2.0-liter turbo that pumps out 320 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Of course, the S2000’s drivetrain would have to be re-engineered from the Type R’s front-drive to the S2000’s rear-drive format, but one source mentioned that a figure of 350 hp was being considered. Obviously the Civic Type R’s brilliant, close ratio 6-speed manual transmission would be carried over to the new S2000.
Who can forget the nail-biting street race scene in 2 Fast 2 Furious in which Suki drove a heavily modified, bright pink S2000 against a Nissan Skyline GT-R, a Toyota Supra and a Mazda RX-7, and ended up jumping a bridge to avoid placing last in the race. A new, sleeker, gutsier S2000 would be a fitting tribute to that car and be the perfect way to celebrate the S2000’s 25th birthday in 2024.
Well that wait may be over. According to a source close to Honda, the brand’s marketing gurus are seriously considering the launch of a next-generation S2000 that could surface to celebrate the coupe’s 25th anniversary in 2024. But it will have a lot more power.
Based on the now-out-of-production model, a 20th Anniversary Prototype S2000 was revealed at the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon back in January to celebrate the car’s anniversary and to keep expectation levels high for a possible future comeback.
Just how much the Covid pandemic will delay plans for the car’s introduction are unclear, but the small niche market for reasonably priced sports cars remains strong.
Body proportions for the new S2000 will apparently remain similar to the original model, but with slimmer headlights and more aluminum and carbon-fiber will be used in construction to keep weight down below 3000 lbs.
The juiciest details will undoubtedly surround the car’s expected powertrain. In contrast to the original coupe’s 250 hp naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, the new model is strongly rumored to employ a tweaked version of the current Civic Type R’s 2.0-liter turbo that pumps out 320 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Of course, the S2000’s drivetrain would have to be re-engineered from the Type R’s front-drive to the S2000’s rear-drive format, but one source mentioned that a figure of 350 hp was being considered. Obviously the Civic Type R’s brilliant, close ratio 6-speed manual transmission would be carried over to the new S2000.
Who can forget the nail-biting street race scene in 2 Fast 2 Furious in which Suki drove a heavily modified, bright pink S2000 against a Nissan Skyline GT-R, a Toyota Supra and a Mazda RX-7, and ended up jumping a bridge to avoid placing last in the race. A new, sleeker, gutsier S2000 would be a fitting tribute to that car and be the perfect way to celebrate the S2000’s 25th birthday in 2024.
12-01-20 | 09:28 AM
#4
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 5,135
Likes: 66
From: N/A
With their GM partnership, perhaps Honda might take a page out of Toyota's Zupra playbook and have GM develop it for them to save costs:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/03/gm-a...h-america.html
We'll be getting an S2000 AND Pontiac Solstice revival.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/03/gm-a...h-america.html
We'll be getting an S2000 AND Pontiac Solstice revival.
12-01-20 | 09:28 AM
#5
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 91,715
Likes: 89
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
For those of you who don't remember the original S2000 (I suspect that most of you do....the engine in that car was a trip). It had a motorcycle-like 9000 RPM redline. Max HP at 8600. Max torque at 7600...that's right, 7600. Almost nothing at normal RPMs. You revved the **** out of it...and then took off like a slingshot on the very upper end of the tach. In fact, that engine did so many RPMs on the high end that I sometimes wondered how the oil pump was able to keep up with its oil-pressure demands....perhaps it used one of racing-specs.
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12-01-20 | 01:07 PM
#8
Super Moderator
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 8,174
Likes: 340
From: IL
The B48 would be an amazing engine for a revived S2000, even though it's heresy. I can't find a dry weight for the B48 4-cylinder, but the larger B58 6-cylinder already weighs 100 lbs less than the K20C1 from the Type R.
12-01-20 | 01:12 PM
#9
I'm worried that they will just build some numb awd hybrid and call it the S2000.
12-01-20 | 01:21 PM
#10
Lead Lap
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4,891
Likes: 12
From: Virginia
We got one of the last original model year (2000) S2000's back when it was new. Too bad we have since let it go. Miss it every so often. Crazy to see how much some of them go for on the auction sites these days.
Would love to see a rebirth of the S2000, but won't be holding my breath to see it happen.
Would love to see a rebirth of the S2000, but won't be holding my breath to see it happen.
12-01-20 | 03:44 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,274
Likes: 296
From: ------
You forgot to add some kind of overweight hybrid system not adding much power and zero physical buttons, it will have a all touch screen interior.
