Honda files mid-engine sports car patent, Project 2&4?

Remember the Honda Project 2&4 Concept from 2015? Half car, half MotoGP bike – the machine that won the company’s in-house “Global Design Project” competition was mad, and not many would have tipped it for production. But Honda has filed a patent for a mid-engined sports car that’s bare-bones in the style of the 2&4.

There’s an extra seat over the single chair in the Project 2&4, but it’s still pretty much a big go kart. According to Autoblog, the patent is for a car with a cast-aluminium backbone chassis, which is said to be very light, stiff, and quick to produce. There’s an engine behind the seats and drive goes to the rear axle.

Attached to the chassis centre point are the seats, steering wheel, pedals and instrument cluster, among other things. This allows for different seating configurations (left- or right-hand drive) or one single seat. The report points out provisions for inflatable roll-over protection, as shown by points 110a, 110b and 110c in figure 2.

The exposed spine that divides the cabin is hollow, and it’s possible to place a fuel tank there. For propulsion, the patent says that besides an internal combustion engine, it can also be an electric motor, and AB reasons that the slot for the fuel tank can instead house EV batteries.

The chassis sits on double-wishbone suspension, but the patent leaves this open as well. Also open is the amount of wheels – there are four of them here but the frame can support just three wheels.

The 3,040 mm long Project 2&4 Concept weighed just 405 kg, and came with a 999 cc V4 engine from Honda’s RC213V MotoGP bike. With 215 PS at 13,000 rpm and a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, it would have been face-altering at full pelt. What will this turn out to be?

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