- Acura’s Nexera Vision concept debuted at Monterey Car Week.
- We turned the Acura study into a speculative S2000 rendering.
- The real S2000 died in 2009 and never got a successor.
For years, digital artists have imagined a revival of the Honda S2000, floating render after render of a roadster Honda keeps refusing to build. The unveiling of the Acura Nexera Vision concept at Monterey Car Week finally gave us a real starting point, a set of hardpoints worth building on, so we sat down and made our own.
Acura says the concept previews its future styling language, and it confirmed that the lighting signature will reach production first on the upcoming RDX Hybrid SUV. We read it differently, or at least additionally; this looks like an automaker floating a shape in public to see how the room reacts before deciding whether it becomes a real sports car.
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If that happens, there’s no reason Honda wouldn’t want the same underpinnings for a model of its own and the economies of scale that come with them. The obvious candidate is a second-generation S2000.
Turning An Acura Concept Into A Honda
Our exclusive renderings picture a two-seat roadster with a sleek body and a low stance. The wheelbase and hardpoints carry over from the Acura Nexera Vision, but our fictional Honda swaps the butterfly doors for a conventional pair and a soft reclining top.
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References to the original S2000 show up in the bumper intakes, the aggressive headlights, the long dash-to-axle ratio and the short tail. To stay somewhat aligned with the boxy look recently previewed by the Honda Hybrid Sedan Prototype, we added sharp character lines along the profile, though the rest of the bodywork stays mostly smooth.
Finally, we created a track-focused variant designed as a spiritual successor to the limited-run S2000 CR (Club Racer). This one gets a bright yellow finish, black alloy wheels and a fixed rear wing made of carbon fiber.
We skipped an interior render, but the minimalist cabin of the Acura concept, with its curved display behind the wheel, already suits the driver-centric layout of the old S2000. The fixed seats paired with an adjustable steering column and pedal box are a nice touch too, letting the driver sit as low as possible and stay connected to the lightweight chassis.
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Acura Nexera Vision concept.
What Could Power It
Acura has yet to share the technical specifications of the Nexera Vision but the concept looks like it was designed as an EV with a heavy use of forged carbon fiber. Still, with most platforms being engineered to support both combustion engines and electric powertrains, we took the liberty of imagining the Honda S2000 with a self-charging hybrid setup.
I know purists don’t want to hear this, but a small turbocharged four-cylinder and dual electric motors could produce a strong combined output and competitive performance without adding much weight. The real catch is the lack of manual compatibility, which would likely push Honda toward the S+Shift system from the Prelude and its simulated shifts. Or the company could surprise us with something closer to the spirit of the original, adapted to modern needs but keeping a true manual. Either way, the RWD layout should be non-negotiable.
Could Honda Review The S2000?
Honda launched the S2000 in 1999, four years after the 1995 concept. The rear-drive roadster and its high-revving, naturally aspirated 2.0-liter engine got a facelift in 2004 and stayed in production until 2009, when it was dropped without a successor. The sportiest Hondas you can buy today are the Civic Type R hot hatch and the Prelude hybrid coupe, which leaves room for something more exotic.
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Over the past few years, Honda engineers and executives have expressed their desire to revive the iconic roadster, but financial and R&D hurdles have prevented the project from moving forward. The main obstacle was the absence of a proper platform for a lightweight RWD roadster, and that’s a problem the Nexera Vision could solve if it ever reached production.
Although our renderings remain purely speculative for now, they prove that Honda’s design team possesses the right foundation to craft a new generation of the Japanese sports car.
