Photo: undb1980/instagram
Enthusiasts have been crying for the return of the Honda S2000 for over a decade now and this seems to be a delicate matter: if a reincarnation of the S2K doesn't happen soon, the electrification trends will become strong enough for such a machine to land as an electric sportscar, which migh be an opinion splitter, to say the least. Meanwhile, though, Honda could offer an electron juice-sipping go-fast toy as a "baby S2000". And the rendering we have here, which comes from a McLaren designer, explores this pathway.
Of course, if we are to talk about a tiny Honda sportscar, we have to zoom in on the Japanese automotive producer's mid-engined kei car bloodline.
In case you're wondering, the kei car segment was born back in 1949, when the Japanese authorities introduced this class. We're talking about uber-small machines with a maximum engine displacement of 660cc and an output capped at 64 horsepower. Sales are encouraged via insurance and tax rates and, even with the kei car tax having been substantially increased in 2014, the segment continues to account for around a third of the country's new car sales.
Back in 2015, Honda introduced the S660, a toy that offers mid-engined thrills in an affordable package, with this considered a junior spiritual successor to the S2000, as the first part of its nameplate indicates. The S660 replaced the Honda Beat - this iconic model, which made for the last car approved by Soichiro Honda before passing away in 1991, was produced between the said year and 1996.
Well, the Beat, which is quite similar to the S660, was selected as the inspiration for the proposal introduced by this rendering.
Now, since we're talking about a spare time effort coming from a designer who knows a thing or two about the mechanisms of the auto industry (more on this below), we're dealing with a dream that's connected to the real world.
Sure, the styling is brilliant, from the overall shape and the traditional Honda styling cues, to quirky features such as the... mid-wing whose base also serves as a headrest. But this project also seems prepared for production, since it was built with the platform of the Honda e electric city car in mind - the Honda RA272, which made for the first Japanese F1 car back in 1965, also served as inspiration for the project.
By the way, David Malcolm Beasley, the artist behind the initiative, explains this took just 30 minutes to render.
We're talking about a gearhead that's been a McLaren principal designer for one and a half years now. His previous work experience involves the role of project lead designer at Nissan Design Europe's London center and, to stick to the compact sportscar theme, we'll mention the stunning IDx concepts of 2013 among his achievements.
In case you're wondering, the kei car segment was born back in 1949, when the Japanese authorities introduced this class. We're talking about uber-small machines with a maximum engine displacement of 660cc and an output capped at 64 horsepower. Sales are encouraged via insurance and tax rates and, even with the kei car tax having been substantially increased in 2014, the segment continues to account for around a third of the country's new car sales.
Back in 2015, Honda introduced the S660, a toy that offers mid-engined thrills in an affordable package, with this considered a junior spiritual successor to the S2000, as the first part of its nameplate indicates. The S660 replaced the Honda Beat - this iconic model, which made for the last car approved by Soichiro Honda before passing away in 1991, was produced between the said year and 1996.
Well, the Beat, which is quite similar to the S660, was selected as the inspiration for the proposal introduced by this rendering.
Now, since we're talking about a spare time effort coming from a designer who knows a thing or two about the mechanisms of the auto industry (more on this below), we're dealing with a dream that's connected to the real world.
Sure, the styling is brilliant, from the overall shape and the traditional Honda styling cues, to quirky features such as the... mid-wing whose base also serves as a headrest. But this project also seems prepared for production, since it was built with the platform of the Honda e electric city car in mind - the Honda RA272, which made for the first Japanese F1 car back in 1965, also served as inspiration for the project.
By the way, David Malcolm Beasley, the artist behind the initiative, explains this took just 30 minutes to render.
We're talking about a gearhead that's been a McLaren principal designer for one and a half years now. His previous work experience involves the role of project lead designer at Nissan Design Europe's London center and, to stick to the compact sportscar theme, we'll mention the stunning IDx concepts of 2013 among his achievements.
Google News