Honda has some secret in-the-works projects behind the scenes. The company has long been a fan of testing out new concepts and designs without ever intending for them to go into production, so don’t get too excited just yet. However, our friends over at Autoweek.nl got their hands on some drawings from the Japanese patent offices at Honda, and their contents are more than just a little intriguing.

What has Honda got up its sleeve?

During the world-renowned German car show called the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (or IAA) in Frankfurt, Honda showcased the Urban EV concept, an electric model with classic yet endearing design features. The Urban EV, which is now known as the Honda E, will be in showrooms next year.e

The Urban EV/Honda E wasn’t the only new design concept in the works. It was followed by the Sports EV, and in March, at the Geneva Motor Show, the public was able to get its first glimpse of the Tomo Concept, Honda’s all-electric and all-adorable mini truck. Now, it appears, Honda has another retro design in the works with the same stylings as the rest of its electric vehicles from the past couple of years. 

What does Honda’s mystery electric sports car look like? 

The still-unnamed newcomer looks like a show car with an electric powertrain. It has a dense nose and an absence of visible exhaust pipes that contribute to this, stylistically. Autoweek.nl thinks the lines of the car remind them of a coupé with a middle engine, but we’re not entirely convinced.

What we do know is that this new electric sports car reminds us an awful lot of the Honda E. 

Could Honda’s new electric sports car go the same way as the Honda E?

The Urban EV—the concept name for what became the Honda E—was never confirmed as “in production” until it had received a generous amount of support and interest from consumers and other stakeholders. 

The Honda E originally debuted as a concept version way back in 2017, and information has trickled out very slowly during the E’s long production period. Only a few lucky drivers and journalists have been able to test drive the E, so much of what we know about how it drives and feels comes from these second-hand sources. 

The video above shows Robert Llewellyn (who you may know as the guy from Scrapheap Challenge, the British version of Junkyard Wars) is shown piloting the E around a track in Frankfurt. In it, you can see that the Honda E is a small yet mighty car, nimble in every aspect of the word, with a total turning radius of just 14 feet. It also has the ability to be driven with just one pedal, a popular feature for newer EVs and something that other EV makers have also caught onto (such as Nissan).

The slick design is also fully demonstrated in the video; with hidden windshield wipers and no side mirrors at all, the E has a simplistic design that, instead of rendering it boring, actually makes it both futuristic and reminiscent of the 1970s Honda Civic, all at the same time. Instead of side or rear mirrors, the E relies solely on an internal rear-view camera system, something we’re likely also going to see in the Sports EV, the Tomo, and perhaps even the mystery EV sports car. 

When can we expect to see more of Honda’s electric sports car? 

The short answer is: there’s no telling. Honda has long been guarded about its behind-the-scenes projects and concept cars, so we don’t expect anything different when it comes to this new mystery all-electric sports car. What we do know is that there are plenty of people hoping some more information gets leaked soon so we’ll know for certain if this little EV sports car is a sure thing or not. 

All images provided by the manufacturer unless otherwise noted.