You might recall that Honda has been testing a fuel-cell car in the real world for quite some time now. It's called the FCX, and it's not exactly the most attractive car on the road. In fact, if you close your eyes and imagine what a fuel-cell car looks like, you'll probably imagine something much cooler-looking than the homely FCX.

More recently, Honda rolled out the FCX Clarity. It's a shapelier fuel-cell sedan, but unless you're into its technology, there's still not much to love. With that in mind, Honda's recently established Advanced Design Studio in Pasadena, California, dreamed up the FC Sport.

As its name implies, the FC Sport is a more extreme version of the typical fuel-cell vehicle. It's designed to not only attract attention, but also exploit the advantages of hydrogen power for improved performance. Although it uses roughly the same drivetrain components as the FCX Clarity, it strategically places them to help achieve a very low center of gravity and improved weight distribution.



A custom-formed fuel-cell stack sits up front, while the battery pack resides somewhere near the middle, just ahead of the electric motor. Behind that motor sit two storage tanks for the hydrogen fuel. They're visible through tinted windows and look as if they could have been pulled off a movie prop for Star Wars.