Rumors Of All-New Honda S2000 Grow Stronger

This S2000 20th anniversary model could be a precursor to an all-new model to celebrate the marque's ... [+] 25th birthday in 2024. Photo by Honda

The iconic Honda S2000 starred in the hit movie 2 Fast 2 Furious, is a must-have car in the driving game Gran Turismo, and sold over 70,000 units in the U.S. over a ten year span. It also just happens to be one of the best handling sports cars of the 2000’s and was much lauded for its high-revving 2.0-liter engine and industry-leading tight, short-throw 6-speed manual gearbox. When it went out of production in 2009, enthusiasts everywhere started enquiring about a second generation model.

Well that wait may be over. According to a source close to Honda, the brand’s marketing gurus are seriously considering the launch of a next-generation S2000 that could surface to celebrate the coupe’s 25th anniversary in 2024. But it will have a lot more power.

Based on the now-out-of-production model, a 20th Anniversary Prototype S2000 was revealed at the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon back in January to celebrate the car’s anniversary and to keep expectation levels high for a possible future comeback.

Just how much the Covid pandemic will delay plans for the car’s introduction are unclear, but the small niche market for reasonably priced sports cars remains strong.

Body proportions for the new S2000 will apparently remain similar to the original model, but with slimmer headlights and more aluminum and carbon-fiber will be used in construction to keep weight down below 3000 lbs.

The juiciest details will undoubtedly surround the car’s expected powertrain. In contrast to the original coupe’s 250 hp naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, the new model is strongly rumored to employ a tweaked version of the current Civic Type R’s 2.0-liter turbo that pumps out 320 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Of course, the S2000’s drivetrain would have to be re-engineered from the Type R’s front-drive to the S2000’s rear-drive format, but one source mentioned that a figure of 350 hp was being considered. Obviously the Civic Type R’s brilliant, close ratio 6-speed manual transmission would be carried over to the new S2000.

Who can forget the nail-biting street race scene in 2 Fast 2 Furious in which Suki drove a heavily modified, bright pink S2000 against a Nissan Skyline GT-R, a Toyota Supra and a Mazda RX-7, and ended up jumping a bridge to avoid placing last in the race. A new, sleeker, gutsier S2000 would be a fitting tribute to that car and be the perfect way to celebrate the S2000’s 25th birthday in 2024.