Honda Refuses to Share S2000 Revival With Another Brand

Honda wants a new S2000, but it won’t be easy

Last sold in America for the 2009 model year, the Honda S2000 was a thoroughly engaging roadster with a rev-happy four-cylinder engine and entertaining rear-wheel-drive handling dynamics. There has been no successor to the S2000, which is why values of used examples are high today.

But could the open-top Honda sports car make a comeback? The desire is certainly there, according to Tomoyuki Yamagami, Chief Engineer of the Prelude, another sporty Honda that has been revived.

But there are a few obstacles getting in the way of a new S2000 being developed, one being that Honda isn’t interested in sharing development of the sports car with anyone else.

Everyone Wants to See the S2000 Return

View the 4 images of this gallery on the original article

“Of course, everybody thinks so,” said Yamagami-san when asked by Drive if he would like to see Honda’s sports car return. “Every Honda employee loves S2000, someday, I’d like to [build another one].”

Unfortunately, there are many reasons Honda hasn’t developed a new model. For starters, it doesn’t have a suitable platform for a new roadster, while costs and likely low sales volumes don’t make it a great business case, either.

“I think you have the right understanding that the conventional sports car is very expensive [to design, develop, and build], and the younger generation cannot afford [to buy them],” said the engineer.

The Civic Type R and all-new Prelude have the advantage of sharing parts with other existing Hondas, so keeping their prices relatively attainable is easier than would be the case with a new S2000.

No Parts-Sharing With Other Brands

One way to keep costs down is to share development with another manufacturer. There are many examples of this in the sports car arena, such as the Toyota GR Supra/BMW Z4 and Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ pairings. However, Yamagami-san is opposed to going this route, as he would want a new S2000 to be a true Honda.

“We know what is expected from Honda [S2000], so what is important for us [is to] keep Honda’s DNA,” he said.

When the S2000 first landed in the United States, it had a 2.0-liter four-cylinder VTEC engine with 240 horsepower and 153 lb-ft of torque; significantly more power than even today’s Mazda MX-5 Miata. Power went to the rear wheels via one of the slickest six-speed manual gearboxes ever engineered. Clean lines and a minimalist, driver-focused interior added to the car’s focused appeal. By the time it went out of production, it had a 2.2L four-cylinder mill with torque increased to 162 lb-ft. With not much torque low down, the S2000 had to be driven hard to extract decent performance, but that was part of the fun.

Don’t Hold Your Breath For a New S2000

Based on Yamagami-san’s comments, Honda’s desire to manufacture a new S2000 looks unlikely to become a reality anytime soon. It’s simply too expensive, and the original car’s powertrain is out of sync with where Honda is today.

A large part of the original S2000’s appeal was its high-revving, naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine. Today, Honda prefers to use hybridization or turbocharging to develop more power on sportier models, and it’s likely that such a move would dilute the appeal of the S2000 nameplate.

A hybrid S2000 without a manual would probably be a stretch too far for the enthusiasts who loved the original model, so perhaps it’s best to preserve the legacy of the original.