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Honda S800 - coupe body - manufactured in 1967
A very unorthodox way to enter the car market was shown by Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Honda. Usually companies aspiring to start car production on a commercial scale begin with a traditional, save design often emulating what's already on the market. But not Honda; their start in the car business was marked by some of the most extreme little cars ever.
In the early 1960s Honda started to experiment with car design. After a first test vehicle a diminutive 2-seater roadster was created, the X190, which showed a flat-four cylinder engine of small displacement and a fibreglass body. It rapidly evolved into the Honda S360, a petite little roadster with a steel body and a water-cooled 4-cylinder in-line engine with double overhead camshafts and no less than 4 carburettors. Its driveline owed a lot to Honda's experience in motorcycle manufacture as was proven by its engine capacity of only 356 cc and its final drive by chains. Never the less this small engine produced 33 hp at a staggering 9000 rpm. First shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1962 it was meant to offer a sports car in the Japanese tax-free segment. Not surprisingly the Japanese government was not amused by this new offering in a segment aimed to promote the ownership of small thrifty cars, and banned Honda from taking this car into production.
Ultimately only 3 prototypes of the S360 were made, the other two with experimental body and chassis structures. Honda decided to oppose the Japanese government and in 1963 the S500 was presented. It was a slightly larger roadster with an 492 cc 4-cylinder engine cranking out 44 hp @ 8000 rpm. Now an agreement was reached with the government and the S500 went into production that same year. The high-performance engineering of the S500 was unequalled in the production car class and tipped that of Honda's Formula 1 cars; its miniature engine propelled the car to serious top speeds of just under 130 kph. After 1363 of these cars were made it was replaced by an updated version named the S600 in 1964.
The S600 featured an enlarged engine, now offering 606 cc displacement and 57 hp @ 8500 rpm. Top speed had gone up to 145 kph and a new model was added to the range: the coupe, which weighed only 15 kg more than the roadster. By now Honda had stepped up production and started to export its little sports cars which meant that also left hand drive cars were build, besides the right hand drive version for Japan. These models were made up to 1966 and 11,284 roadsters and 1800 coupes were made. With its remarkable high-performance features packaged in a compact and nimble sports car the S600 had made quite a name for Honda, both in Japan and abroad.
The ultimate S model was introduced in 1965 at the Tokyo Motor Show as the S800. In 1966 it came on the market as a roadster and a coupe and it had, as its name already implied, a larger 791 cc engine which was good for 70 hp @ 8000 rpm. Maximum speed was now 160 kph and the first series still had the unusual chain drive on the independently sprung rear wheels. After about a 1000 cars produced this was changed to a more common shaft drive and live axle configuration. Some 700 cars further along the line another change was made: the front drum brakes were replaced by more modern disc brakes. Final coup for the S800 should have been its introduction on the American market, but unfortunately things started to go wrong for the unique S800 right then and there.
To comply for the American market the S800 was updated in 1968 with a host of safety features including side lights, safety glass and dual circuit brakes. This Mark II version was named the S800M and was set to compete with already established imported sports cars like the MG Midget and the Austin Healey Sprite. It wasn't to be however because the S800 didn't pass the emission regulations and some feel this had something to do with pressure from the importers of the British sports cars. Anyway, no Honda S-series sports cars were officially sold in the USA and after this disappointment Honda gradually lost interest in the model. Production of the S800 ended in May 1970 after 11,536 had been made, of which the majority had been roadsters.
Of course the world wide sales success Honda had been striving for, especially in the USA, came in 1973 with the Civic, a compact car very different from the S-series sports cars. Never the less the uncompromising S-series had established Honda's name as a car manufacturer in the 1960s and by now these cars are true classics. The importance of this range to Honda's success as a car manufacturer was stressed in 1999 when the S2000 roadster appeared to mark the company's 50th anniversary. This was a modern interpretation of the classic S-series, again with a extremely high revving 4-cylinder engine.
Currently the S600 and S800 models are becoming more popular on the Western classic car markets and enjoy the attention of a number of specialized clubs. Most valued is the S800 roadster, which is also the most practical choice. Less roomy and also rarer is the S800 coupe; only relatively small people will fit into it (snugly) but in exchange it offers more distinguishing looks and is certain to put a smile on the face of everyone who sees it. Keeping the drive-line in good working order takes some prowess. It is however a feat of engineering, undiluted by commercial concerns, with its very own special place in automotive history.
© André Ritzinger, Amsterdam, Holland
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