Honda’s Project 2&4 concept has been given a second motor show airing at Tokyo 2015. The fantastic Frankfurt debutant has cutely switched its seat to the right-hand side for drive-on-the-left Tokyo. Powered by a 220bhp MotoGP engine and weighing 405kg, think of the 2&4 as Honda’s Ariel Atom.
Is the 2&4 any closer to reality? Designer Martin Petersson hopes so, and certainly the way he talks you get the feeling the concept’s not yet run its course.
‘An expensive low-volume production model is an option,’ says Petersson. ‘Honda has done this before (with the low-volume Clarity fuel cell car), and did so again recently with the RCV motorcycle, the bike whose engine we use in the concept. But this car is so light, 450kg, that we could use a less expensive, less powerful engine and still get great performance. There is a challenge around driver protection too – how can we deliver the necessary protection for a trackday drive while retaining the spirit of this concept? And while I’d like to use high-end components, like the RCV engine, the 6-speed DCT and the projector instruments, there are cheaper alternatives. I think there could be a number of potential owners of cars like this, like the BAC Mono and Caterham, who like the idea of a track car but are uncomfortable buying from a small supplier. With Honda, they’d have the peace of mind of a big OEM.’
[“source-carmagazine”]