Honda - now a global manufacturer of motorcycles, cars and outboard marine engines - first established itself building consumer motorcycles in the boom time after the Second World War. But it took until 1962 for the fast-growing Japanese company to release its first ever car at the Tokyo motor show - the S500 Sports. Due to Honda's roots, this car shared many of its design concepts with its motorcycle ancestors - hence the tiny size of the vehicle and its innovative engine and driveline. It came available in the choice of hardtop coupe or convertible form and was powered by a 531cc in-line four cylinder engine angled at 45 degrees to the vertical.
This double overhead camshaft alloy engine featured class-leading technology such as a hemispherical shaped combustion chamber, a roller bearing crankshaft, dual oil filters and four side-draft Keihin (Honda designed) carburettors. Just like a motorcycle engine, it loved to rev. In fact, it would generate its peak power of 44hp at a lofty 8000 rpm - an engine speed almost unheard of in a showroom stock car of the time. And it is also rumoured that in full race-trim in Japan that they were regularly taken to over a staggering 10,000 rpm! Engine life, given these astronomical revs, was said to be very good.
The driveline was another aspect of the car that took design cues from motorcycle technology. Honda decided to use a chain drive to transfer torque to the independently sprung rear drive wheels. This worked sufficiently well, however, its inherent chattery noise and low torque handling capability were its major limitations. Having received a warm embrace for their new car, it was in 1964 that Honda Japan decided to treat it to an engine capacity increase to 606ccs. The new car - dubbed the S600 - was designated as the replacement for the S500. Its 14 percent larger motor gave the car 57 bhp at 8500 rpm and 35 ft-lb at 5500 revs. Drivability was improved noticeably. This car was first imported into Australia in early 1965 - however, its list of problems included excessive noise, driveline harshness and a poor ride.
The best known of the S-series is the 791cc S800, which - released in 1965 - represents the final phase of the car's evolution. This car, too, was brought to Australia. It was visually distinguished from earlier models by its wire mesh grille, bonnet bulge, new wheels, revised taillights and the replacement of the dual wing mirrors with a single door-side mirror. It was much quieter inside too, with improved engine mounting, exhaust muffling and cockpit sound insulation. A larger engine that could rev less frantically was also partly responsible for its reduced noise.
Based on the same basic block, the swept volume increase was achieved by increasing the bore 5.5mm (to 60mm) and the stroke by 5mm (to 70mm). Running a compression ratio of 9.2:1 (down from the S600's 9.5:1) this motor made 70hp at 8000 rpm and 49ft-lb at 6000 rpm (a specific power of a massive 88.5 hp/litre!). It was backed by a 4 speed manual gearbox filled with taller ratios to give a top speed of 95 mph (152 km/h). This compares to the S600's top end of 85 mph (136 km/h). Full throttle acceleration from zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) took 13.4 seconds and the quarter mile was claimed to take around 17 seconds (although this varied in contemporary motoring tests). Top gear now gave 12.3 mph per 1000 rpm. Think about that gearing for a moment. One hundred kilometers an hour (60 mph) was achieved at 4900 rpm!
Under normal driving conditions, increased torque enabled the car to deliver much smoother take offs and it was considerably easier to go with traffic flow - although some revs were still needed to move off the line. That was no problem though, because even dumping the clutch at 9000 rpm apparently wouldn't give any wheelspin! A larger fuel tank (7.7 gallons - 35litres) was also fitted with the larger engine, despite it being able to return very similar economy - sometimes superior to the S600.
Interestingly, and largely due to the increase in engine torque, Honda did away with their chain drive system and employed a conventional live axle that was located by coil springs, trailing arms and a Panhard rod. This was fitted to all export models, with chain drive remaining an option in Japan. The newly suspended car's much improved overall ride was attributed largely to the rear end. One road test quoted that it gave "none of the last car's chain wind-up on get-away, and eliminated its tendency to wallow and die in corners when a wheel was partially lifted or lost a little traction". On normal roads, it was also less worried by rough surfaces and was less prone to hopping around when driven quickly. Another noticeable upshot of the live axle was reduced driveline noise that was previously caused by chain chatter. An independent torsion bar front suspension was fitted to all Honda S sports cars.
Spring rates were widely regarded as too high and the damping too weak while, further to this, only 20 psi inflation pressure was recommended for the Japanese-made Dunlop SP3s (under normal driving). Combine the low-pressure tyres and new suspension set-up and the result was understeer. On the track, the little Hondas showed large amounts of understeer in the braking area with milder understeer with power application at the apex. But a slight throttle lift off accompanied by a flick of the quick-ratio rack and pinion steering let you oversteer the car's 6' 7" (2 metre) wheelbase in any situation. Most contemporary road tests came to the same conclusion - its handling was predictable and enjoyable, though the ride was firm.
At the time, the braking performance of the S800 was also regarded as exemplary. Unlike the previous models which received finned alloy drums all 'round, the S800 was lucky enough to get Dunlop Mark 31 9.4 inch discs at the front. They operated faultlessly with the car's approximate 640kg mass.
The all-black interior of the new S800 sported re-styled instruments over the previous models, tailored carpeting and a beautiful overall finish. The whole package was backed by much motoring acclaim (along with some measure of intrigue!), and it eventually made its way to Britain in 1967, where it competed in (and won) evaluations against such cars as the Fiat 850 coupe, Triumph Spitfire and MG Midget. It was priced competitively amongst these cars, too, at 949 pounds - compared to the Fiat at 918, the Triumph at 991 and MG at 858 pounds. Reviewers particularly loved the Honda's slick gear change, good luggage capacity, 35-plus mpg economy and creditable straightline performance - especially given the size of the engine.
When production ceased in 1970, the S800 convertible, hardtop and fastback coupe accounted for a total of 11,400 units. It had done exactly as Honda had hoped - successfully establish its name as a car manufacturer.
