The image to the right is a "prediction" in the current Road & Track of a supposed S2000 replacement.
Problem is that it's based on nothing.
The piece was written by Sam Mitani. Lets look at the prior work of Sam to get an idea of his credibility. None of his past predictions have actually shown up as he imagined them. He seems to be good at writing pieces based on nothing but hype and dated internet "rumors" off of forums. Net value is zero.
And it isn't even original thinking by Sam. See the Best Car magazine image from Japan and my response: http://www.drivingenthusiast.net/sec-blog/categories/s2000/2008/08/13.html#a2489
The Honda OSM concept car that serves as the basis for this and other S2000 rumors has been wildly misinterpreted as a rear-wheel drive S2000 replacement, when in fact it is not: http://www.drivingenthusiast.net/sec-blog/categories/s2000/2008/09/21.html#a2509 Honda itself clarified that.
Speaking of internet blah-blah-blah, some people dream about torque and how much they want for the next S2000. That's how this V-6 rumor got started. Be careful what you ask for: Honda's V-6 is hardly state of the art. It's only a SOHC engine: that severely limits breathing. The exhaust manifold is integral to the the cylinder head (a single casting) - a large single exhaust port is cast and that's it for breathing. And it's only got cam phasing - changing the intake and exhaust valve timing in sync as a pair, rather than separately. It makes for smooth driving in an Acura, but it's hardly something a sportscar enthusiast would like to drive. If Honda had something like a VQ37HR engine http://www.g37-tech.com/wiki/VQ37HR then we'd have something an enthusiast might be interested in. It'd be clean, fast, and would produce better fuel economy than the current S2000.
How about a larger naturally aspirated 4 cylinder? While some people might get all worked up about a 2.4 liter engine, the redline would be even lower than the current 2.2 and the VTEC zone would be even narrower. Why would anybody want such a 4 cylinder? And while it would produce more torque than the current 2.2, it's still wouldn't be much compared to other industry 4 cylinders. And it'd be flat-out boring to drive.
If it does have to be a torque engine, why not the Acura 2.3 liter 4 cylinder turbo? Yes, it's very well built (nearly everything has been redesigned specific to this purpose), but doesn't product a lot of output for it’s size (260 torque - but only 240 HP), and without direct injection it’s hardly state of the art. And it’s mileage in the RDX is absolutely terrible. Details and very high-res images are here: http://www.s2000.drivingenthusiast.net/sec-other_honda-acura/rdx-turbo-engine/index.htm. GM's direct-injected 2 liter turbo (260 HP and 260 torque - with more coming) and Mazda's direct-injected 2.3 liter turbo (274 HP and 280 torque depending on platform) have both been out for years and offer fabulous drivability and a great service history. Both deliver exceptional mileage and all-around performance. The next-gen Mazda turbo engine goes to 2.5 liters and gets even better. Where is a next-gen Acura turbo 4 cylinder that might be able to catch up to this pair?
Undoubtedly somebody somewhere in Honda R&D has a V-6 S2000 running, as well as a turbo 4 in test. That's how R&D works - they are always looking at alternatives or using today's engines to simulate tomorrows chassis stress test. Those of us who have been S2000 enthusiasts from the beginning will remember that the original S2000 concept had a 5-cylinder engine in it. And we remember that it was reported then that the ultra-lightweight chassis and suspension bits were designed specifically and solely for a low-torque 4 cylinder and that they saved a lot of weight because of it. Assuming the current chassis is reused for a follow-on to the S2000, these would need to change for any other kind of powerplant. That would be an expensive engineering change... and updating the current chassis to meet anticipated crash standards and Honda's own safety standards would be even more expensive. All of this will make for a wider and heavier car - in an era when the trend is moving to lighter and more efficient. Did you see Mazda's statements this past week about taking 10% of the weight out of the next Miata? ( http://www.ridelust.com/future-mazda-mx-5-gets-even-lighter-in-the-loafers/ ) Think more about horsepower-to-weight ratios going forward, rather than a single and simplistic HP number without regard to weight. Even the latest Acura 307HP 3.7 liter V-6 would mean little in a 3100 pound S2000 (and the current S2000 is already at 2864).
For a company that used to pride itself as an "engine company", the engine situation looks strangely bleak at Honda these days, at least in terms of the current F/K and V-6 engines. No direct injection. No completely separate intake and exhaust cam phasing. Little sophistication in the ignition electronics. Nothing of any real interest to the enthusiast other than the current S2000 engine... and that has been dumbed down from the original. Enthusiast potential in hybrids... and perhaps in the longer term hydrogen. But what happens in the meantime?
The original S2000 was a phenomenal example of sportscar design and engineering. The attention to the smallest detail, the careful focus on each performance characteristic (as in Boyd's energy maneuverability engineering - yes I'm Boyd fan and that's the kind of design approach I want to see put into sports cars. While it's not likely that the S2000 designers ever read Boyd I'm positive they would understand him.) and the focus on the driving experience (and the requirement of a superior driver to extract it all) are all legendary. We may never have an equal to this car from Honda... although it is technically possible. But even if we don't we'll still have the original S2000. It's proved itself to be worthy of the term "classsic".
