Honda will use next month’s New York Auto Show to display a ready-to-race version of its aging S2000 Roadster in a final last hurrah before the introduction of an all new model due towards the end of next year. The latest racer-inspired version, which is described by Honda as “aggressively-tuned,” will go on sale in the second half of the year and is aimed at enthusiasts after a stripped out racer engineered for track use.

Engineers in Japan released a proposal back in 2004 for a racing version of the S2000 that weighed just 1150kg, down from the current car’s 1250kg, giving it an incredible power to weight ratio of 4.75kg/hp. To reach the weight target, the developers planned to replace some of the engine internals with light forged items, make the air conditioning, stereo and SRS air bags factory options instead of standard fare and remove the spare tire, retractable roof and sound deadening as well. The suspension, brakes and tire packages were also expected to be upgraded.

Unfortunately, that concept was dropped at the last minute in favor of the 2.2L AP2 model that was sold in US markets. We hope the design for the new S2000 CR picks up elements from the original proposal. The tried and tested formula of a lightweight roadster with a rev-hungry race car-like engine and lively handling is sure to excite some interest towards the aging Honda roadster. We’ll update this story with the latest images and info as soon as it’s released by Honda.