[supra93]

Word about an alleged ‘baby’ Honda NSX has been limited in the last 12 months and with no official talk about the car from Honda itself, it seemed the project may have been dead in the water.

However, a number of new patent images have been published by the European Union Intellectual Property Office and Auto Guide which highlight the interior of the upcoming sports car, allegedly dubbed the ZSX.

The images show that the car has an interior layout with obvious similarities to the current NSX, including a familiar center console design and dashboard. Perhaps what stands out the most is the Formula One-inspired steering wheel and bucket seats which appear to be fixed to the monocoque and flow seamlessly into the doors.

The exterior of the car depicted is pretty much identical to what patent images revealed in August 2016 and that’s certainly no bad thing with the car adopting styling cues from the NSX but shrinking them down into a smaller package.

If the car in question does come to fruition, it will act as the spiritual successor to the Honda S2000 and could rival the new Toyota Supra. Power would likely come from the 2.0-liter turbocharged four of the Civic Type R and be coupled with a pair of electric motors.

http://www.carscoops.com/2017/07/bab...terior-in.html









Do These Honda Patent Images Preview A Small NSX?

A set of patent images showing a mysterious mid-engined Honda have surfaced online. Unfortunately, the drawings don’t come with an explanation about the vehicle, but we can guess what it is.

Although at first glance the car appears to be a convertible variant of the NSX, its details tell a completely different story. Smaller than the NSX and with a design language that neatly aligns with Honda’s mid engine sports cars – the S660 and the NSX, this automobile could the missing link between them.

So, is this the spiritual successor of the S2000? Possibly, just like the AMG GT is the spiritual successor of the Benz Patent Motorwagen.

Truth be told, this mid-engine Honda - which hasn’t even been officially announced yet -has nothing to do with an S2000. Apart from its mid-mounted power-plant and what seems to be a detachable roof, the upcoming vehicle is said to boast a hybrid power-train.

The patent was filed on May 27 at the European Patent Office and the vehicle registered appears to be a concept car. The massive front and rear air intakes, the absence of a rear window and the small side mirrors are all details that confirm the car is nothing more than a prototype. At least for now...

[Viffermike]

Yeah, um, that steering wheel won't make it to the U.S.

Hoping the production car doesn't have quite than many sharp creases and otherwise cacophonous design cues. The Civic R crowd will not cross-shop this ... and that will pretty much negate the car being an S2000 successor to me.

[aerostar]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

Yeah, um, that steering wheel won't make it to the U.S.

Hoping the production car doesn't have quite than many sharp creases and otherwise cacophonous design cues. The Civic R crowd will not cross-shop this ... and that will pretty much negate the car being an S2000 successor to me.

Why would that steering wheel not make it here?

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by aerostar

Why would that steering wheel not make it here?

Liability in a mass-produced car, combined with laws in several states (I forget which) that state that street-legal vehicles must have a circular steering wheel of at least 13 inches in diameter. Unless those laws have changed -- entirely possible, but I doubt it since no other U.S.-legal mass-produced car has an open wheel, including exotics -- that's one's out.

[wdb]

Got my attention.

[Mingwan]

Nice. So we'll probably get this car in about 10 years.

[David70]

Originally Posted by Mingwan

Nice. So we'll probably get this car in about 10 years.

X2. Not planning a trip to my dealer to see it anytime soon. Someone creating a futuristic model and applying for a patent for some parts of the interior on this model doesn't mean much.

[supra93]

While there have been many rumors dating back to 2008 about a mid-engined sports car from Honda, last year's report was provided the most detail about what seemed to be a scaled-down version of the NSX hybrid supercar. Honda may have added some fuel to the rumor-fire by recently filing a trademark application for "ZSX," reports Australia's Performance Drive.

The trademark application was sent to the European Union Intellectual Property Office late last month and is obviously close to the NSX nomenclature. The Australian outlet also reports that an unnamed source within Honda claims the ZSX, whatever it may be, could be revealed as early as next year.

The anonymous employee also claims that the ZSX will be offered as a coupe and a hard-top convertible variant, with both being powered by the automaker's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine from the Honda Civic Type R. Just like the NSX, the ZSX is rumored to get electric motors on the front and rear axles.

Previous reports match the unnamed source's claims, as the ZSX was expected to be a replacement for the Honda S2000 that ended production in 2009. It now sounds like it'll be more of a mini-NSX, with rumors pointing towards one electric motor powering the rear wheels, while two motors would be on the front axle. Patents from last year, which are pictured above, match the rumors of a mid-engined sports car.

The ZSX trademark is for Europe only as of right now, while the automaker's previous patents and trademarks included the US, as well. Only time will tell if "ZSX" really stands for a sports car, or if Honda actually goes through with its plans. Remember, Nissan ditched similar plans for a small rear-wheel-drive sports car recently.

[NickyC]

We're all going to pretend that car doesn't just completely rip off Lamborghini styling?

[supra93]

Honda has something up its sleeve.

Our spy photographers have stumbled across a mysterious new vehicle that could be our first indication that Honda is working on a smaller version of its Acura NSX sports car.

Rumors of a "baby" NSX have been flying since the hybrid supercar debuted in 2015, and we may finally have proof that Honda is developing such a vehicle. It remains unknown if the vehicle spotted today is a concept or simply a design study, but it certainly has many of the design elements of the NSX.

At this point we have far more questions than answers, but it's pretty clear that this mystery roadster uses a mid-engine/rear-drive layout. If the rumors are to be believed, this baby NSX (which could possibly be named ZSX) uses a pair of electric motors to drive its front wheels.

The conventional engine in the ZSX is likely the same turbocharged 2.0L turbo-four from the Civic Type R. On its own that engine is good for more than 300 horsepower, so this pocket rocket could potentially come with more than 400 horsepower once the electric motors are taken into account.

Previous reports have suggested this mini NSX will be built right alongside the full-size version of the sports car at Honda's Marysville, Ohio production facility. The Civic Type R's engine is also made in Ohio.

On an interesting side note, Australia's Car Advice posted pictures of what appears to be a coupe version of this mystery vehicle back in the summer of 2016. It seems unlikely that Honda would go to the trouble of making two different full-size models of a car that isn't intended for production. But then again, anything is possible.

Although this mid-engine roadster would likely be sold as an Acura in the United States, it could be marketed as a Honda is other global markets (just like the NSX). That could explain why this particular car is emblazoned with Honda logos. However, it's also possible that this car could be sold under the Honda brand as a successor to the S2000.

While we don't know exactly what Honda is up to, we sure are excited to find out. Stay tuned.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/spied-is...nsx-94896.html

[///M Power-Belgium]

Too much fugly rice..

[NFiftyWon]

This thing screams high-schooler concept. This render is garbage

[supra93]

[b4hand]

I'll take one pls

[supra93]

A couple of years ago, a set of patented images surfaced showing a mysteriously sporty Honda model that pretty much looked like a smaller NSX.

We can now see how that particular design language was applied to this, the Sports Vision Gran Turismo, part of the Vision GT program from Sony's upcoming Gran Turismo Sport video game, launching October 17th.

Compared to those patent images filed all the way back in 2015, the Sports Vision GT available in the game appears a bit sharper, with slightly more pronounced fenders. All in all, we're clearly looking at the same car.

We also have a good idea of what the interior looks like thanks to this image. The cabin appears to have a rather simple layout, while the steering wheel is shaped like something out of a Formula One car.

In the end, even though this is just a concept, we're hopeful Honda will put pen to paper soon and sign off on a production version, if they haven't already. It's been reported that such a car could wear the moniker 'ZSX' and rival the new Toyota Supra as the spiritual successor to the Honda S2000, more or less.

http://www.carscoops.com/2017/10/hon...smo-looks.html