MELBOURNE: It looks like Honda’s S660 compact sports car is closer to showrooms than initially thought, with what appear to be dealer info sheets finding their way onto the web this week.
Originally shown as a concept at the 2013 Tokyo Motor show (below), a production future was rumoured earlier last year but was never confirmed by Honda.
And while Honda’s lips are still sealed about the S660, the appearance of these documents all but confirms that the S660 is not far away from going on sale – at least in Japan.
Built to conform to Japan’s Kei class rules, the S660 is tiny. Just 3395mm long, 1457mm wide and 1180mm tall, and with a 2285mm wheelbase.
It’s not tremendously powerful either, with Kei rules stipulating that the engine can have no more than 47kW. Torque is an equally puny 104Nm from the turbocharged 660cc (hence the S660 name) three-cylinder engine.
A global launch is understood to have been part of the S660’s development plan however, and a more powerful engine producing power somewhere around 75kW may be earmarked for overseas markets.
But given the S660 weighs all of 960kg, 47kW should be enough to make it feel reasonably sporty. The three-cylinder motor is also mid-mounted, much like its spiritual predecessor the Honda Beat.
Externally, the production S660 doesn’t look all that different to the show car revealed in 2013. Door handles, indicators and a petrol flap have found their way onto the S660’s bodywork, but the general shape is almost identical.
The grille does feature a cross bar for the crash structure and licence plate support though, and the headlamp design is simpler than the concept car’s. The side vents are also body-coloured on the production car rather than gloss black.
A Japanese launch is clearly imminent, but there’s been no word as yet about when – or if – the S660 will find its way abroad.
However, as a cheap and cheerful mid-engined sporty convertible, the S660 could be just what Honda needs to get to restore some of its long-lost mojo
