In production for little over a decade, the S2000 has been one of the best sports cars ever made. The first models used a tiny 2 liter naturally aspirated engine with a red-line of nearly 9,000 rpm and a perfectly balanced chassis. Unfortunately there haven’t been any similar models in the recent years. The MX5 and the 86 are quite soft in comparison to the original S2000 and none of them is really a performance sports car. So far not much has been said about the upcoming 2018 Honda S2000 but luckily they did confirm it.
The car is set to be released at the company’s 70th anniversary and it should be just in time to compete with the upcoming RX-8. However, the S2000 is expected to remain a two-door convertible with the performance of your usual sports car. We really do hope that Honda will stick to their roots and make a high performance model, just like the original was. So far it seems that they don’t really have a suitable platform.
Price details
However, not that long ago Acura released a rear wheel drive chassis which may be used on a future S2000. Rumors suggest that the production model is going to weigh under 2,900 pounds and it should provide quite a bit of power. The price might get closer to $40,000 which is definitely more than many of its competitors.
2018 Honda S2000 Chassis & Design
However, if the 2018 Honda S2000 will be marketed, and built, properly than Honda should have no problems selling them. The chassis will likely be made mostly out of aluminum with some composite parts. These will aid them in reaching the weight goal while keeping the car’s rigidity quite high. The fact that it will be a convertible means that the S2000 will have to use some reinforcements in its chassis in order to keep its rigidity close to a coupe.
This shouldn’t mean that the car will be soft though. In fact we are quite sure that Honda will make quite an aggressive car in order to steal the hearts of their customers. Like the first generation, we expect a really rewarding car to drive which will become better as the driver improves. Novices should have no problems in driving it though as Honda is set to install quite a few driving aids as standard.
There are only a couple of renderings depicting the design of the upcoming S2000. It seems that the production model is going to borrow quite a bit from the latest NSX. The two should share a similar front end with a large V-shaped grille and aggressive headlights. At the back the car might also feature some design cues from the NSX. This hasn’t been confirmed just yet but considering the two will be part of the same series, it might be possible. Also, the rather minimalistic interior of the original is likely going to be used on the upcoming 2018 Honda S2000 as well. This will allow the driver to focus on actually driving the car.
The Engine range – prediction
Unfortunately a naturally aspirated engine is highly unlikely at this point. Our best bet would go on Honda’s latest 2 liter turbocharged inline 4 petrol engine. With close to 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque this would have more than enough oomph to power the new S2000. However, the 9,000 rpm red-line would be gone and with it, that incredible sound. Instead, the car will feature a lot more torque than before and a more usable power curve. All of these should certainly make for a faster vehicle but we still have to see if it will be fun. Luckily, a proper 6 speed manual transmission and a mechanical limited slip differential will most likely be offered as standard.
