Honda S2000 may return with turbocharged Type R engine – report
If the rumours are true, Honda's open-top sports car could be coming back from the dead.
The Honda S2000 roadster may be set to make a return in 2024.
According to Forbes magazine, a source close to Honda has revealed company decision makers are considering bringing the cult car back for its 25th anniversary.
As imagined by CarAdvice contributor Alex Misoyannis (shown at the top of this story), the new model is expected to offer sharper, more modern styling, while retaining the long-bonnet shape of the original car.
While details remain scarce, it's thought the new model will retain the basic dimensions of the original S2000, with aluminium and carbon-fibre used throughout its construction to keep weight down.
Perhaps the most exciting rumour is found under the bonnet: the source claims the new S2000 will use a modified version of the Honda Civic Type R's 'K20C' 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but with the wick wound up to more than 250kW.
The Civic Type R's highly-praised six-speed manual transmission is said to be carried over too, with the powertrain modified to feed the rear wheels.
First appearing as a concept car in 1995, the production S2000 launched in 1999 in celebration of the Honda Motor Company's 50th anniversary, and stayed in production for ten years, with only minor changes during its lifespan.
At its release, the S2000 was one of very few non-turbo cars to claim the revered 100hp-per-litre title, with the 'F20C' engine achieving the feat first broken by the McLaren F1 only seven years prior.
The 'F20C' was a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder producing 176kW of power – a significant number for the period. For perspective, in 1999 you could have bought an HSV VT Clubsport off the showroom floor with 195kW from its 5.0-litre V8.
But while the S2000's power was impressive, it lacked torque, offering a mere 208Nm from the 2.0-litre (and less than half of the Clubsport's output).
Regardless, the engine – which featured Honda's trademark 'VTEC' variable valve timing – was considered extremely reliable and a feat of modern automotive engineering, often spoken about in the same breath as engines from Ferrari and Porsche.
Rumours of an all-new S2000 first emerged in late 2015, but this is the first time news has leaked of the project in recent years.
MORE: Our S2000 coverage
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