Is this Honda’s S2000 successor?

A recently discovered batch of patent drawings may have shed some light on Honda’s sports car future.
Even since Honda pulled the plug on the S2000 roadster in 2009, we’ve been hearing rumors of spiritual successor. So far none of those reports have materialize, but a new set of illustrations unearthed by autovise may have given us our best glimpse yet at Honda’s S2000 revival.

The images reveal what appears to be a mid-engined Honda sports car with compact proportions. The overall styling of the mystery model is similar to that of the Acura NSX, but there are enough changes to suggest this is a different vehicle altogether and not something like an NSX convertible.

The car’s apparent mid-engine layout also supports previous report that Honda’s S2000 successor will be mid-engined like the bigger NSX. No technical details were attached to the sketches, but a version of Honda’s 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder is tipped for duty in the next-generation S2000.

It’s also believed that Honda is working on a hybrid version of the mid-engine sports car that would bump power north of 350 horsepower. In order to get that power to the ground, the hybrid S2000 would ditch the standard car’s rear-wheel drive for an all-wheel drive setup.

The styling of the coupe in question is pretty radical, so it’s possible we could be looking at a sketch for a concept vehicle that will preview Honda’s upcoming sports car. Whatever the case, Honda’s take on a modern S2000 isn’t expected to hit dealer showrooms until 2017 at the earliest.