Photo: David Artola on Behance
Before anything, open a new tab in your browser and take a look at Honda’s lineup in the United States of America. Notice anything strange about the 2020 model year? Indeed, only the Civic Si and Civic Type R can be called sporty vehicles.
The Si is a very fun car and the Type R is seriously thrilling in pretty much every driving scenario, but then again, do take a moment to remember what Honda is good at. Indeed, the Japanese brand started out as a motorcycle manufacturer.
Even the first series-production automobile from Honda features an inline-four midship that revs up to 8,500 revolutions per minute, reflecting the automaker’s expertise on two wheels. The question is, why didn’t the S2k get a successor?
Produced from 1999 to 2009 with two free-breathing engines that could rev as high as 8,800 rpm and cut fuel at 9,000 rpm, the two-seat roadster with a minimalist dashboard design was discontinued in the aftermath of the financial crisis that saw General Motors and Chrysler request emergency loans from the government.
“Hey, but what about the NSX? You’ve completely forgotten about it?” Though it’s marketed as an Acura in the United States, the NSX has gone hybrid. The JNC1 twin-turbo V6 in the middle may be a dry-sump unit that’s seriously good on its own, but then again, it lacks the specialness of the C-series V6 in the Gen 1.
Ford has a flat-plane crankshaft V8 that revs higher, and sooner rather than later, the C8 Corvette Z06 will introduce the LT6 engine with a DOHC configuration and natural aspiration. So to speak, Honda is ignoring its motorcycling heritage.
However, the S2k would be a very different animal today if Honda were to bring it back with all-new underpinnings. Imagined by SEAT automotive CGI and components designer David Artola, the “S2000 Retromod” certainly looks different from the original without messing up the essentials of the two-door roadster.
Given that Honda’s current crop of four-cylinder engines is a bit lackluster in terms of rev-happiness, the most appropriate candidate for the engine bay of the S2000 Retromod would be… wait for it… the K20C1 from the Civic Type R.
But wait a second. Take a closer look at the rear end of the design study and try to spot any exhaust pipe. I can’t either, and this gets us to the video cameras that replace conventional door mirrors. Inspired by what Honda has given the “e” electric hatchback, the new S2000 could actually be an electric sports car.
The electric motor from the Honda e isn’t exactly potent, though, featuring less than half the horsepower of the dinosaur juice-drinking Civic Type R. And frankly speaking, internal combustion seems more appropriate in an open-top vehicle.
Even the first series-production automobile from Honda features an inline-four midship that revs up to 8,500 revolutions per minute, reflecting the automaker’s expertise on two wheels. The question is, why didn’t the S2k get a successor?
Produced from 1999 to 2009 with two free-breathing engines that could rev as high as 8,800 rpm and cut fuel at 9,000 rpm, the two-seat roadster with a minimalist dashboard design was discontinued in the aftermath of the financial crisis that saw General Motors and Chrysler request emergency loans from the government.
“Hey, but what about the NSX? You’ve completely forgotten about it?” Though it’s marketed as an Acura in the United States, the NSX has gone hybrid. The JNC1 twin-turbo V6 in the middle may be a dry-sump unit that’s seriously good on its own, but then again, it lacks the specialness of the C-series V6 in the Gen 1.
Ford has a flat-plane crankshaft V8 that revs higher, and sooner rather than later, the C8 Corvette Z06 will introduce the LT6 engine with a DOHC configuration and natural aspiration. So to speak, Honda is ignoring its motorcycling heritage.
However, the S2k would be a very different animal today if Honda were to bring it back with all-new underpinnings. Imagined by SEAT automotive CGI and components designer David Artola, the “S2000 Retromod” certainly looks different from the original without messing up the essentials of the two-door roadster.
Given that Honda’s current crop of four-cylinder engines is a bit lackluster in terms of rev-happiness, the most appropriate candidate for the engine bay of the S2000 Retromod would be… wait for it… the K20C1 from the Civic Type R.
But wait a second. Take a closer look at the rear end of the design study and try to spot any exhaust pipe. I can’t either, and this gets us to the video cameras that replace conventional door mirrors. Inspired by what Honda has given the “e” electric hatchback, the new S2000 could actually be an electric sports car.
The electric motor from the Honda e isn’t exactly potent, though, featuring less than half the horsepower of the dinosaur juice-drinking Civic Type R. And frankly speaking, internal combustion seems more appropriate in an open-top vehicle.
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