the s2k blog

While Honda is already selling, or at least has announced the 2009 updates for most of their vehicles, the fate of the s2000 still remains somewhat in limbo. There have been no end to concepts and renderings floating around the internet (and this site) that look to be the successor to the roadster, but as we near the fourth quarter of the year, it seems unlikely that there will be any big changes for 2009. Will Honda altogether discontinue production in the US for 2009 as sales for the s2000 continue to decline? Will they discontinue just the standard s2000 and market the Club Racer as the only 2009 s2000 model?

The Consumer Guide on Howstuffworks.com suggests that the next incarnation of the roadster may cater less towards purists who enjoy a fast, cramped, noisy and stiff-suspension car, and instead focus more towards the general population. The less expensive and less powerful Mazda MX-5 continues to steadily make money, while the Honda s2000 has always been a financial problem for Honda.

The more practical roadster that the article describes, would be less expensive, with a 200hp engine and a platform that has crossover parts to other cars like the civic (think del sol), making production and final price much more affordable.

It’s said to be inspired by Honda’s very first car, the spartan, tiny but spirited S800 roadster of the early 1960s. It’s also said to be a bit smaller than today’s S2000. Less specialized too, as some underskin components will come from mass-market Honda cars to achieve a lower sticker price. The engine, for example, will be the 2.0-liter four-cylinder from the popular compact Civic, likely the top-tune Si version with around 200 horsepower. Sources say it’s reworked to drive the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission or a Volkswagen-style twin-clutch six-speed sequential manual with automatic shift mode. Suspension reportedly retains twin A-arms in front and a multilink setup in back, but some of the components may be exchanged for off-the-shelf parts. Same for the brakes, four-wheel discs with ABS again, and steering.

Personally, I would be sad to see the roadster go in the direction of competing with the MX-5, instead of taking the opposite approach and going against the Porsche Boxter market and other high end roadsters. The Howstuffworks article should also only be taken with a grain of salt, as they claim the s800 roadster was “Honda’s very first car,” (The Honda s360 was the first car, and the Honda s500 was the first production car) they obviously didn’t do too much research for their article.