Honda’s ‘Baby NSX’ Patent Was Actually Its Vision GT Concept Car
Will the real S2000 please stand up?
Back in July, we reported on a mysterious patent filed by Honda showing what appeared to be a small, topless sports car of some kind. We, along with much of the automotive press, wishfully speculated that this was the second coming of the S2000. Well, this week saw the release of the Gran Turismo Sport demo and, a little inadvertently, several new additions to the Vision GT virtual concept car program. I think you know where this is going.
Turns out, that "baby NSX" patent was for the Honda Sports Vision Gran Turismo video-game-only car. Insert sad trombone noise here.
Created by Gran Turismo developers Polyphony Digital the Vision GT program roped in auto manufacturers from around the world to come up with special concept cars specifically for inclusion in the series of racing games. It gave us the McLaren Ultimate Vision GT, the Fittipaldi EF7 Vision GT, and even went on to provide Bruce Wayne's new ride in Mercedes-AMG's entry.
Now, for the new-S2000 holdouts, all hope is not lost. A Vision GT concept being related/based/inspired by a real-life car yet-to-be-revealed is not unheard of. For example, looking back at the Bugatti Vision GT revealed at Frankfurt in September 2015, it's pretty much a race-prepped Chiron. The real Chiron wasn't publicly unveiled until six months later, at Geneva.
According to Gran Turismo Sport's in-game spec sheet, the Honda Sports Vision GT is a carbon-laden, mid-engined, rear-drive, 900-kilogram (1,984-pound) two-seater powered by a 2-liter four-cylinder turbo good for 404 virtual horsepower. Polyphony ends its in-game description of the Honda VGT characterizing it as "a car that we believe is true to life machine that can be enjoyed by many."
Is an S2000-revival reveal imminent? Only time will tell.