Honda wants to remind the world it knows how to make desirable cars with the Project 2&4 concept, a ridiculously light single-seater that has the heart of a MotoGP bike.
It is the work of Honda designers in Osaka and Wako and the result of a global contest between Honda design studios. The result, as you can see in the pictures below, is unashamedly loud styling and compact dimensions.
Beneath the bodywork is a 1.0-litre RC213V MotoGP V4 that has been detuned to 212bhp. While a detune is rarely a good thing, the Project 2&4 weighs just 405kg – 115kg ligher than the two-seater, Somerset-built Atom. That means a power to weight ratio of 523bhp per tonne, which betters many supercars.
All horsepower and 87lb/ft of torque is sent to the rear wheels, which means the engine – limited to an ear-destroying 13,000rpm – provides ample opportunity for those brave enough to go sideways. Meanwhile a six-speed dual-clutch automatic handles gear changes.
Inside a typical dashboard has been ditched in favour of a transparent digital display. There’s also a rear-view camera, Ohlins suspension, Bridgestone tyres and a steering wheel that happens to be home to the starter button, trip computer functions and traction modes. A windscreen is nowhere to be seen.
Honda is yet to officially say what materials are used to keep the Project 2&4 so light, but aluminium and carbon fibre are likely.
It is also unknown whether it will reach production. Hopefully so, because that and the new Type R would be the perfect products to inject a dose of much-needed cool in the range.
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