Honda S2000 to return as Miata fighter?

December 8, 2015
A rumor has emerged from Europe which points to the development of a smaller, cheaper, less powerful Honda S2000 engineered to take on the likes of the Mazda MX-5 and Fiat 124 Spyder.

Autocar claims that company insiders have revealed a development program for the long-anticipated roadster replacement. Those sources claim that engineers have even attended S2000 owners’ club events in the UK, seeking feedback from owners on a potential successor.

If the UK publication’s information is accurate, Honda is considering a four-cylinder unit producing between 150 and 180 horsepower, with the potential of a “hotter” trim utilizing the Civic Type R’s high-output engine down the road.

The most significant obstacle seems to be the lack of a suitable existing platform on which to build a new roadster entry, and without any volume cars with which the development costs could be shared, there’s a dearth of incentive in that regard.

Rumors of new Honda sports car programs have surfaced time and again since the S2000′s demise, the most recent pointing to Honda’s U.S. arm bringing over the new S660 convertible and retooling it for the American market as a “S1000.”

Currently available only in Japan and designed to fit the local kei-car segment, the diminutive roadster is powered by a 660cc three-cylinder turbocharged engine with 63 horsepower and 77 lb-ft of torque.

Honda’s US executive VP, John Mendel, told Edmunds in a recent interview that the company wants “…some spice in the lineup.”

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