Honda Reimagines S2000 Roadster for 2020 With New Anniversary-Edition Prototype

Honda will reboot the S2000 in 2020, but not in the way everyone wants. Instead of building a new generation of its rev-happy sports car, Honda has come up with what the S2000 could look like in 2020, had it any plans to build such a car.

The S2000 20th Anniversary Prototype, as Honda calls it, is a show vehicle prepared by the automaker’s accessories and parts division, Honda Access. This group altered an original S2000 with an "aero bumper," lowered suspension, and a modernized audio system to serve as a centerpiece for its booth at Tokyo Auto Salon 2020, which will be held in the first half of this coming January.

The most optimistic interpretation of what this concept car could say about Honda's plans for the S2000 is that it's finally testing the waters for the sports car's revival, as Honda's CEO Takahiro Hachigo hinted the company would have to do in 2017. Rumors of an S2000 comeback, however, haven't been swirling much as of late, and with naturally aspirated sports cars seemingly destined to become a thing of the past, this looks like the least likely scenario.

Much more probable is that Honda's accessories business just needed something neat to show off at its show booth this year, and we'll give it credit for that—this S2000 looks the part. Even more exotic, however, is its booth companion, the Civic Cyber Night Japan Cruiser 2020, which looks even more cyberpunk than a certain electric vehicle manufacturer's wheeled pyramid.

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