It’s no secret that the success Toyota/Subaru has had with the 86 (Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ) has other manufacturers green with envy, and with the likes of GM, Nissan and now Honda vowing to join the fray, it’s a good time to be a fan of lightweight RWD sports coupes.
And why not Honda? With it’s long legacy of compact sports cars, Honda has defined this genre in many ways from the S600 to the perfectly balanced S2000. So it stands to reason that Honda of all manufacturers could definitely hit the ground running for such a coupe concept.
According to GT Channel, the new affordable sports car is something Honda is pondering but if it does come to fruition it will not be as high-end as the S2000. With the current market looking for an exciting affordable sports car, a new “S1500” concept is being kicked around Honda’s Tokyo headquarters. With a smaller chassis and perhaps a 1.3-liter or 1.5-liter inline-4 with i-VTEC, basically a slimmed down version of the current platform of F or K motors.
A good basis for the powerline of this vehicle may be the Honda Fit, with the 1.5liter I-VTEC motor that produces 130hp, this new concept could be a terrific winner with the right balance and weight. Could we see a return of a mid-engine layout like the NSX or Honda Beat?
What could the vehicle look like? well according to the design direction at Honda, they are considering the Japanese-only N-ONE as the base of the vehicle ( pictured ) or make it more like the current Civic. However with the Civic packing on pounds at a meteoric rate, it’s been a long time since anyone put the words “lightweight” and “Civic” together.
Either way, we hope Honda does it and brings another contender into the sports car ring!
Happy Driving!
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