A typhoon of rumors has been swirling around Honda's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, about the company's next generation of sports cars. While we have already seen spy photos of the future NSX, we have not seen anything about the next-generation S2000. A source close to the company revealed that Honda is indeed in the process of building such a car, but wouldn't disclose specific details.

The OSM (Open Study Model) concept car definitely raised some eyebrows recently at the London show, but that car was just a convertible version of the CR-Z hybrid sports car shown at the Tokyo Motor Show last year. The OSM was penned by Honda's European design team, and our people tell us that the real S2000 successor will have much more influence and input from Japan. Also, the CR-Z and OSM have been engineered as front-engine/front-wheel-drive models, and the S2000 successor will no doubt be a rear-wheel-drive car. So apparently the OSM has nothing to do with the S2000 successor. Or does it...?

There's the possibility that the OSM may very well be a design study of the next S2000, wearing the veil of an open-top CR-Z to throw us off. There was also a sighting of a mysterious prototype sports car near Honda's R&D headquarters in Japan that seemed to share the OSM's proportions, yet looked completely different. Could this be another design study of the S2000? We think so, so we took pieces of that car, melded it with the OSM and came up with this image, a handsome car with an Audi R8-esque face, a long hood and a profile reminiscent of the current S2000.

As for what will go under the hood is still unclear. There have been rumors that Honda may equip the car with a V-6, perhaps a new 3.0-liter or the 3.5-liter in the Acura TL, thus the name S3000. In the U.S., this makes sense because it would give the car much more low-end torque (something we Americans love), not to mention improved smoothness and quietness for freeway driving.

With such an engine, you can expect power to be in the 280- to 300-bhp vicinity, enabling a 0

 

I cant Wait!!!!! If this car makes it into production I will buy it if its around 40k, because i finish paying off the s2 in 2010.

 

S2000 will die it's inevitable. It's not selling near as much as it has to to stay going

 

Every car that it has replaced has done the same. From the CRX, the del Sol, and now with the S. They last seven or eight years, then are replaced by the next big thing. It sux, but that's been the trend for the last twenty years

 

Well its still and S roadster i like it so i want it. Woot Woot And not to mention TQ from a v6 i know i know 9k down the drain but it will still be faster i can just imagine. I raced a TL type S with the 280 hp motor and it was faster than me so that motor in a lighter car. FTW

 

 

That picture looks horrendous.

 

i think it looks good once you see it in real life it will look better

 

Thats because by the time they finish "tweaking" the car it will look like this

 

see the resemblance?? No? look at the front of both, they both have H's on them