Thanks to the Internet and a scan of a Japanese market brochure, the whole world now has an idea as to what the production-ready Honda S660 will look like when it hits showrooms later in 2015.
Leftlane reports the 660cc engine — thus, S660 — will deliver 63 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, while the peak torque of 77 lb-ft will arrive earlier at 2,600 rpm. CVT or six-speed manual will help direct that power to the back.
Curb weight for the tiny roadster and heir apparent to the throne abdicated by the Honda Beat following the 1996 model year starts at 1,830 lbs, with available options pushing the scale to a top figure of 2,116; the Lotus Elise falls in the same weight class, but delivers more power and a larger price tag in comparison.
Alas, no word still on whether this kei roadster will board a container ship bound for the United States when it leaves the same factory that once assembled its predecessor. Should that happen, however, the S660 may gain a 1-liter unit to better deal with the different driving environment, as first reported when the roadster bowed at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show.
Below is the spec sheet for those who can read kanji, hiragana or katakana:
With the larger engine and a price under $20K Honda may be onto something here
This is what the CR-Z should have been.
Better late than never I guess.
“the 660cc engine … will deliver 63 horsepower
“Alas, no word still on whether this kei roadster will board a container ship bound for the United States”
With only 63 hp, I think that’s plenty to know whether they’ll bring it to the US.
I’m tooling around the German autobahn in my ’99 Opel Astra G 5 door, 1.6l throttle-body producing a screamin’ 74 HP and yet, it does a sweet 85 mph (~140 kph) for hours and merges with traffic just fine. I’m assuming this Honda will weigh a bit less than my Astra (which, incidentally, my exact model Jeremy Clarkson heartily endorses as a Vauxhall, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQoLsm03Fs8) and get more power at the right moments. This Honda should do just fine on slower ‘Murican highways.
“This Honda should do just fine on slower ‘Murican highways.”
It “should do just fine” but the problem is, no one would actually WANT it, save for a few weirdos who would probably not buy new anyways.
I’ll buy one, assuming I can fit in it comfortably. And I’m not a weirdo. I am, howerver, a bit of a recovering Honda Fanboi prone to lapses. And suffer from tiny-engine envy after driving a 3 cylinder Geo metro around LA like a complete idiot for a week last summer.
They really, really need to ditch the CVT for a manual, though. That done, there’s lots to be said for cars that decouples the common desire to drive like an idiot, from the need to go all that fast.
…it’ll be available states!de in 2040…
Del Sol resurrección?
Not a Honda buff, but I seem to recall the Del Sol not fairing well. I would hope if it is a resurrection it would be that of the CRX.
Looks like the mess that was once the Del Sol. I don’t see it coming here.
OK I don’t know if you are trolling or not but in case you MIGHT be serious …
Our family bought a “96” black Del Sol new with the 160 HP vtec.
That was a great car and would easily outrun any of the current Miatas of the time.
The ride was better, the cabin was bigger, ( I am 6’2 )
and it absolutely never let us down in 100K+ miles of city and cross country driving.
And per an old Road and Track test, yes it could stay with the Miata as well on an over the road one on one.
I also had a 66 E-type at the time as well and except for outright
acceleration and top end speed, the Del Sol would outperform it as well.
Of course 30+ years of engineering advancements will do that.
The base Del Sols were underpowered but the VTEC was a great machine.
we’ve never gotten any kei cars before, why start now? I still dream of driving a Mazda AZ-1 but know I’ll never fit in it.
You can buy kei trucks, but they’re considered for “off-road use” only. There’s a few parked in the back of a business near where I live, too.
Hmmmm… yes, yes.
That’s precisely what we need in this application. A pick-up bed.
Sorry for the ignorance, but RWD? FWD?
On the list of cars I made fun of when they were around, but really wish I’d bought and kept: Second gen Toyota MR2.
This Honda could sorta/kinda fit the same “fun toy car” niche.
Any Honda that begins with the S designation, from the original S360 to the recent S2000, is rear-driven.
Also: “CVT or six-speed manual will help direct that power to the back.” So, we have that.
It’s mid-engine RWD just like the MR2.
This doesn’t look like a crossover.
Allow me to rephrase: in the US of A, it will not sell well.
Given how poorly the Toyabaru twins have done with much more power (with albeit more mass), this seems DOA in the US. What would impress me is a Prelude, a “Toyabaru done right” as it were; not a Japanese roadster interpretation of “Smart” car.
Man, that is just depressing. I know it’s for the Japanese market, but come on. MX-5, all the way.
Or a nice Geo Metro convertible, if you can find one.
I’d try to translate that chart with my pocket Nelson, but my eyes aren’t very happy trying to decipher which radical some of those dark smudges represent. Actually, those who are familiar with how each dimension, capacity, or emission is represented will have no difficulty figuring out what each check box represents.
Grr: that color chart reminds me if it’s not small or sporty, it’s shackled with a boring palette.
Bring it over with a pressurized liter motor and I’ll place my order while it’s still hard to get.
Have it large for your convenience:
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/honda-s660-leak-3_1200.jpg
I like it! It’s cutesy and effective. Looks much better than something like the Copen. However, that suede pad on the passenger s!de of the dash needs to go. It immediately makes me have SVX images in my mind, and cons!der how dirty those got.