Honda Plots Trio of Mid-Engine Sports Cars

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According to a recent report from Motoring, Honda is looking to offer a trio of mid-engine sports cars, starting with the S1000, moving up to the S2000 and finally topping out with the NSX.

Last year, we reported rumors that Honda was considering bringing back the S2000 as a mid-engine, turbocharged hybrid model and it appears that’s still in the works. The Japanese automaker has some new sports-focused models in the pipeline and the company isn’t looking to let off the gas pedal just yet.

The small S660 sports coupe is now arriving at Japan dealerships and it is being reported that Honda is looking into a more powerful S1000 model with a 1.0-liter turbocharged engine that may come to North America. That model would take on the Scion FR-S, Mazda MX-5 Miata and Fiat 124, while a born-again S2000 would be the candidate to compete against the Porsche Cayman, Audi TT, BMW Z4 and Nissan 370Z. Of course, the NSX sits atop the range to compete with supercars like the Audi R8.

Rumor has it that Honda is evaluating a detuned version of the Civic Type R’s 2.0-liter turbocharged engine for the new S2000, but also on the table is a more efficient 1.5-liter turbocharged engine mated to an electric motor for a hybrid powertrain good for at least 300 hp.

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It seems there really is some substance behind the leaked patent drawings of a mysterious Honda sports car, after all – Auto Express reports that an S2000 successor is on the verge of getting the green light for production.

According to the British publication, the baby NSX is already in the midst of development; it will be positioned above the much-rumoured S1000 – a larger, more powerful version of the S660 kei roadster – but sit under the NSX, and will take on the Porsche Cayman and Alfa Romeo 4C.

This car is set to be quite a departure from the naturally-aspirated front-engined, rear-wheel drive roadster that we know and love. It’s expected to be a mid-engined coupé, for one; it’s also rumoured to incorporate some of the technology from the new NSX, which would make it a vastly different car from its spiritual forebear.

Mounted amidships, the 2.0 litre VTEC Turbo engine adapted from the Civic Type R should see its output boosted from 306 hp to somewhere around the 330 hp region, boosted by three electric motors – two in the front, one in the back – to provide all-wheel drive and a total system output 400 hp. Unfortunately for three-pedal purists, the only transmission option set to be provided is a nine-speed dual-clutch unit.

Honda is expected to utilise an aluminium spaceframe clad in aluminium and carbon fibre body panels (again, like the NSX) – this should see the kerb weight pegged at under 1,400 kg, and aid the company in its quest to provide “class-leading performance and handling.”

The car is slated to be built alongside the NSX in Ohio; however, it’ll wear a Honda badge in North America, rather than the NSX’s Acura emblem. Despite development being underway, its arrival is not expected until 2018 at the earliest, with a target price of around £60,000 (RM351,400) – interestingly, that’ll be roughly when Toyota’s born-again Supra replacement is set to be produced, as well…

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The "baby NSX" lately in the news has been in Honda's idea cloud since before the 2008 global financial rift. The company called it the "Small NSX" and reports said it "will really be a scaled-back version" of Acura's exotic, including the mid-engine layout and a variation of the hybrid SH-AWD. It even had a price: $50,000 to $60,000. So more than seven years on, when a series of patent images materialize for what looks like an NSX-inspired Honda sports car, it doesn't prove anything, but it fits.

Motoring reports that the Small NSX will sit at the top of a lineup of three mid-engined sports cars intended for the Honda brand - but note that Motoring is based in Australia, where our Acura NSX is sold as a Honda. This Small NSX would be a "radical replacement" for the Honda S2000 that ended production in 2009. Beneath it will be a global version of the S660 roadster that could come here as an S1000 with 125 horsepower. The Civic Type R and a much sportier, reimagined CR-Z will put some long forgotten handling chops at other price points in the model mix.

Motoring's sources say the Small NSX design work is, "for all intents and purposes, completed." The consistent rumor regarding engine is the 306-hp 2.0-liter turbo VTEC used in the Civic Type R. One electric motor will be in back to help move the rear wheels, two electric motors will hang on the front axle. Overall power output is put at around 400 hp, with 330 hp of that coming from the ICE, working through a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission. An aluminum frame with aluminum and carbon fiber parts will discourage heft, the final product at aiming at a weight under 3,100 pounds. Its price should be competitive with its intended target, the Porsche Cayman. The 2018 Detroit Auto Show is where we might see it, before it goes into production later that year at Honda's Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, OH.

[Advent]

Looks good