Honda hints at new sports car as 75th birthday present this year

The Honda S2000 sports car could make a comeback to celebrate 75 years of the Japanese car maker this year, a senior executive has hinted.

"Watch this space: [2023 is] 75 years [of Honda]. We had the S2000 at 50. Who knows…" Honda Europe vice president Tom Gardner reportedly told UK publication Autocar.

Honda has been without a compact sports car below the flagship NSX supercar since the final S2000 – a car built to celebrate 50 years of Honda in 1998, when it launched in 1999 – rolled off the production line in 2009.

Reports over the past decade have claimed plans for a revival are underway, but none have come to fruition.

The latest report from Forbes magazine in late 2020 claimed a new S2000 – with 2.0-litre turbocharged Civic Type R power – was under consideration for launch "to celebrate the [roadster's] 25th anniversary in 2024."

If Honda was to introduce a new sports car – and sell it in Europe – it would likely need to use hybrid or electric power, amid tightening emissions rules, and Honda Europe's widespread adoption of electrified technology.

The Japanese car giant has previously confirmed plans for two battery-powered sports cars by the end of the decade.

One of the vehicles is expected to be a third-generation Honda NSX successor – after the original 1990-2005 model used petrol power, and the just-discontinued 2016-2022 version introduced hybrid technology.

A teaser image released by Honda shows the second vehicle could adopt the proportions of the S2000 – a traditional front-engined, rear-wheel-drive roadster with a long bonnet and low nose – but it is unclear if it would be a coupe or convertible.

Arrival timing for these vehicles was not disclosed when they were announced, other than that they are due by the end of this decade.

There is a chance Mr Gardner is not hinting at plans for a new sports car at all – and instead a special edition of an existing model, or a new Type R high-performance version of another Honda vehicle.

The executive's comments could also refer to a new concept vehicle to mark the anniversary, which may not be planned to go into production.

"We will characterise the brand, particularly in Europe, as two words – we work very closely with R&D to ensure that our products will embody this – which are 'advanced' and 'sporty'," Mr Gardner told Autocar.

"Honda has a very strong technology base. Not technology just for the sake of technology, but technology that adds new value to customers.

"And we love a sports car. We love performance, and we're very grateful for the strong reaction we've had to the latest Type R. There is huge demand for it, and the performance has been very well appreciated.

"We really enjoyed seeing it nail the Nürburgring record in the last month, and that is an important part of our brand," the executive said.

Autocar highlights comments made by Honda's then-CEO Takahiro Hachigo in 2017, expressing interest in a S2000 revival if the numbers stack up for such a model.

"I’ve already heard many voices expressing they’d like a next-generation S2000. Honda development engineers are quick to develop sporty cars if the requests are there," he said.

“All over the world – in Japan, North America, Europe, China – more and more voices are expressing the desire to reinvent S2000. However, it has not matured yet. It’s not time yet. We need time to decide if S2000 is reinvented or not.

"If the sales people investigate, look at it and they’re really enthusiastic, maybe we look at it.”