The original S2000 has been built for nearly 10 years, and it was quite a successful soft-top cabriolet because it offered a naturally aspirated engine with a lot of power and a really simple yet fun package. Unfortunately, the car was discontinued because the design was getting old and since it was pulled out of the market back in 2009. More than six years later there are plenty of rumors out there which suggest that a 2017 Honda S2000 might be released. According to these rumors, it seems that the upcoming S2000 model will not have anything in common with the rather odd S660.
2017 Honda S2000 Engine and Transmission
This might seem like an impossible target to achieve but even at this rather low price point, Honda will have to battle cars such as the MX5, the Fiat 124, Ford Mustang and even Chevrolet Camaro. In order to compete with all of these and to be a worthy successor, the 2017 Honda S2000 will definitely use a small 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four petrol engine. This will clearly remind us of its predecessor, plus the turbocharger, and it should be able to put out more than enough power to become an interesting car. Expect around 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque which together with rear wheel drive, a 6-speed manual and less than 2,500 pounds should make for a really impressive package.
New S2000 Honda Interior and Exterior
The largest unknown factor about the rumored 2017 Honda S2000 is the way the car will look. While we can assume that it will very likely borrow some of the lines and design on the NSX, the S2000 will have to bring something unique to the market in order to be successful. We only hope that it will get the same long hood and really low profile of the original which both make for the perfect traits of a true sports car.
One of the segments where we need improvements is the rather Spartan interior. We are sure that it will be replaced by something a bit more modern and easier to live with. Also, to keep it true to the predecessor, Honda might decide to offer special version that again would bring interior we are used to see in older model.
Price and Release date of 2017 Honda S2000
While Honda hasn’t said much about the S2000, it looks like that they are in fact working on it and from some insider information the future car will be using a new lightweight rear wheel drive platform. This will be loosely related to the Acura NSX, but it will have a front-mid mounted engine, just like its predecessor. The release date for this new sports car will likely be at the end of 2017, and when it finally hits the market sometime in 2018 or later, the base price should not be higher than $35,000. If Honda manages to keep it competitive in price segment, we expect to see the resurrection of an iconic model.
Here is a reminder how Honda S2000 looked like:
