Before we get started, let me bring your mood down a little. This is, probably, not going to make production as a rival to the likes of the Ariel Atom and Caterham 7. A shame, but Honda's Project 2&4 concept is not really about exploring production feasibility - instead it's a concept designed to bring together the two great halves of Honda; the bike side and the car side.
So, it's the product of a design competition within Honda to combine the expertise of both its car and motorbike divisions. A tiny, ultra-light road-racer with an offset single seat, it weighs just 405kg and is just 3.0-metres long. Power comes from a road-legal version of the 999cc V4 four-stroke unit that Honda uses in its Moto GP bikes, so this really is a Grand Prix car for the road, just not in the way you normally think of it.
Peak power is 210hp, produced at an incredible 13,000rpm (the redline is at 14,000...) while maximum torque of 118Nm is delivered at a much, much lower, er, 10,500rpm. The transmission is a six-speed dual-clutch DCT gearbox. Conceived by Honda's motorcycle design studio in Asaka and designed in collaboration with the automobile design studio in Wako, Honda Project 2&4 "seeks to create an intense driving experience by combining the most thrilling elements of riding a motorcycle with the most engaging characteristics of driving a car. The result not only showcases the creativity flowing through Honda's design studios, but also challenges expectations of the future of mobility."
The styling and colour scheme have been inspired by Honda's legendary RA272 Formula One race car of 1965.
Sadly, there are no plans for a production model, nor anything like one. I think this is where we start campaigning for one though...