Honda fans have been hankering for the return of the S2000 for years. The drop-top sports car disappeared from the market in 2009, and lovers of rev-happy hoonage have been crying out for something to replace it ever since. Yes, the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ are here and the Mazda Miata hasn't gone away, but Honda loyalists want a sports car to call their own. Perhaps 2018 will be the year when those dreams become reality.

According to Car and Driver, Honda may just be prepping a new S2000 and next year would make perfect sense for the car to arrive. The original S2000 was launched back in 1999. That year marked the automaker's 50th anniversary. Showing off the next-generation S2000 ahead of the upcoming 70th anniversary would make for an excellent birthday present for the brand.

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Intriguingly, it seems there could be a bit of a surprise in the engine bay. The old S2000 needed to be pushed to redline for the fun to arrive. That might not be the case with its replacement. Car and Driver says Honda is exploring a twin-charged setup, a technology explored by Mitsubishi. A standard turbocharger would work together with an electrically driven supercharger to create what should be one awesome powerband.

Such a setup would yield power at both low and high rev ranges, yet it would also allow for strong fuel economy figures. Some sources are saying power output could be as high as 325 horsepower, but that almost seems to be overkill for the S2000. We're not saying we wouldn't welcome that number in what would almost certainly be a lightweight roadster, mind you, but Honda could probably get away with less.

Let's hope these rumors are true and a new S2000 does arrive. A twin-charged setup might not rev high, but we'd be willing to overlook that for the extra horses. Car and Driver's estimate of a $50,000 price tag, however, seems a little higher than Honda fans may want to pay.