Unless you’re a hardcore Honda fan, chances are that you’ve forgotten what a Civic from the 2000s looks like. You don’t care about polished K20 engines. However, the body of the iconic S2000 is engraved in the mind of every car fan on the planet.
It has nothing to do with appearing in a movie, like the Aston Martin DB5, or being owned by celebrities. It didn’t cost that much money and hadn’t set any land speed records. Yet the Honda S2000 is pretty much synonymous with the term “sports car.”
Part of it is the engineering package. You’ve got the right layout combined with one of the best four-cylinder engines ever made, certainly in the modern era. The 9000rpm redline and balanced chassis made it a favorite of keen drivers.
However, we think the S2000 is also the right shape. It achieves that long-nosed roadster perfection, finding the sweet spot between a mundane Miata and a vicious Viper.
Thus, we dream of the day when the S2000 returns. Stranger things have happened. With the help of BMW, Toyota was able to turn the Supra from a fossil to a living legend. And unlike the Big T, Honda does have the perfect engine for the job. It’s got VTEC… somewhat, plus it makes loads of power. So what if the redline would be lost?
Sadly, the JDM legend isn’t on the verge of a comeback. But we can dream of a brand new S2k thanks to this awesome set of renderings from artist Siim Parn aka spdesignsest. His inspiration comes from the strangest of places, not the Civic Type R, but the regular 2022 Civic model.
This new generation of the best-selling compact has much cleaner lines than its predecessor, a tribute to Civics of old. And it somehow perfectly loans its features to the S2000.
So what’s been taken? Well, we’ll actually start with the color, a metallic burnt orange. In combination with the black alloys, this gives the S2000 a contemporary, timeless look. Don’t get us wrong; we love a yellow S2000 CR or that glacial white special edition, but they’re quite bold.
The front end is also heavily based on the Civic: the same sort of headlights and a grille that unashamedly wants to belong to the affordable car segment. Would you guys want a 2.0 VTEC Turbo Honda S2000 making around 310 horsepower? And who could help Honda build such a thing? Our only idea is Mazda, with their upcoming RWD sports sedan and next-gen Miata.
