The Honda Sports EV concept is a future-proof S2000

Remember the Honda Urban EV concept from the Frankfurt show? Of course you do, it rocked our world with its perfect stance and minimalist look riddled with hints of mk1 Civic, 205 GTI and VW Golf mk1. It gave us faith that when electric hatchbacks take over, old-school style might still be an option.

Now Honda has gone one step further and revealed the Sports EV concept at the Tokyo show. Using the same gorgeous aesthetic, it shows what a two-seater sports car – dare we say a spiritual successor to the rev-hungry S2000 – might look like. And while it won’t be able to deliver 9,000rpm manual upshifts, it’s still got plenty going for it.

It’s pure electric, in case it hadn’t clicked yet, and based on the new dedicated EV platform that will underpin a production version of the Urban EV concept in 2020. We suspect if it does make production we’ll have to wait a little longer for this one. So 2021, at least.

Like the Urban EV, there’s no word on power or performance, but don’t expect anything ballistic; that's the NSX’s job, after all. The Sports EV is about “a feeling of joy and emotional unity to the drive,” says Honda. Whatever that means. Fun, hopefully.

As for the styling, Honda describes it as having “a striking silhouette, friendly face and supple body surfaces, all designed to ensure the car blends into any lifestyle.” Intentionally non-aggressive then, but like the Urban EV we are seeing strong hints of classic sports car in the shape.

You may be seeing flashes of the Toyota 2000GT from Bond’s 1967 escapade You Only Live Twice? Us too. Although Bond’s car was a specially commissioned convertible (one of only a handful in existence) the long arching bonnet and large circular lights are a dead ringer for the 2000GT Coupe.

No doubt Honda will tell us it’s actually a reincarnation of something from their archive, but either way, it looks fantastic and we implore them to put it into production immediately.

So, guys and girls, where do you think Honda got its inspiration for this one? And would a sports car like this make you turn electric?