The Honda sports car launched in 1999 to celebrate Honda’s 50th anniversary was the Honda S2000.
Honda launched the production S2000 on April 15, 1999, marking 50 years since the company’s founding. It was a front-mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-seat roadster with a fabric convertible top, giving Honda a focused performance car distinct from its front-wheel-drive family models.
The name combined Honda’s “S” sports-car tradition with its approximately 2.0-liter engine displacement, echoing earlier roadsters such as the S500, S600, and S800. The original AP1 version used a high-revving F20C four-cylinder engine and a six-speed manual transmission; later AP2 versions received significant drivetrain and suspension changes in some markets.
The CR-Z was a later hybrid hatchback, the Beat was a small kei roadster, and the NSX was Honda’s separate mid-engine supercar. All are sporty Hondas, but none matches the 1999 anniversary-launch clue.