The Hurdles Facing a Honda S2000 Revival

Daily Car

·

04/11/2025

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Many car enthusiasts miss the days of simple, driver focused sports cars. For a decade the Honda S2000 filled that role perfectly. Recent comments from within Honda have given fans hope for a revival, but the company has also been clear about the major challenges that make a new S2000 unlikely for now.

The desire to bring back the legendary roadster is strong among Honda's own employees and engineers. Tomoyuki Yamagami, the chief engineer behind the new Prelude, confirmed that the company would love to build another one. The first major roadblock is technical. Honda currently does not have a suitable platform for a rear-wheel-drive sports car. The original S2000 was a purpose built machine, with a unique chassis and a high revving engine designed specifically for it. Yamagami stated that Honda would not partner with another automaker to create a new S2000 emphasizing the importance of keeping the car's "Honda DNA" pure.

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The second plus perhaps larger, hurdle is the cost. Developing a unique sports car from the ground up is an expensive process. Yamagami noted that those high development costs lead to high prices for customers making it difficult for younger buyers to afford them. When the first S2000 was released in 1999, it cost around $32,000 in the U.S. In today's money that's over $61,000.

This financial challenge is highlighted by feedback on Honda's new Prelude hybrid. That car shares its platform and powertrain with other Honda models like the Civic to help manage costs. Despite this Honda says it has received complaints that the Prelude is still too expensive. If a parts sharing coupe is considered pricey, it makes the business case for a far more specialized and expensive car like a new S2000 extremely difficult to justify. While the passion remains, the practical realities of engineering but also cost mean the S2000's return is not on the immediate horizon.

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