It's nice when someone important has a birthday party because there's plenty of free stuff for the guests too like booze, cake, and sometimes a souvenir. When it comes to car companies, some like to celebrate in style by throwing swanky parties and releasing new car models. Usually, automakers leave the fun models for the anniversary celebration, and that's exactly what Honda will do according to a Car and Driver source. In 1998, Honda celebrated its 50th birthday with the S2000, a car that went down in the history books as one of the brand's best.

After it was discontinued in 2009, fans everywhere waited eagerly for a replacement that never came. Instead, we got rumors left and right telling us that a successor was coming. Now, it seems that the rumors were true because an S2000 successor will come in 2018 to celebrate Honda's big 70th. "Size-wise," says the unnamed source, "it'll be similar to the Mazda MX-5 Miata, but the Honda will have a lot more power." This seems to be in accordance with earlier patents filed last year that show a Honda that looks like a smaller NSX. Prior to that, rumors speculated that the S2000 replacement would feature the Civic Type R's turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that will be combined with a hybrid drivetrain, much like the one in the NSX.

Together, the two power plants should spew out 360 horsepower. Both the engine and the car will be built alongside the NSX in Ohio, US. This may be due to the fact that the S2000 replacement will share aluminum and carbon fiber to hit its weight target of 2,900 pounds. By comparison, the Mazda MX-5 Miata weighs 2,350 pounds but only makes 155 horsepower. Given that the NSX is the flagship, the S2000 replacement may earn the name "baby NSX," but this is wrong. The new sports car will have an entirely new platform and share nothing with either the NSX of the S660 that never made it here. Even though the new car will gain some NSX hybrid tech, we hope that it doesn't leap too high in price over its predecessor like the NSX did.