Honda S660

The Honda S660 is a two-seat kei sports car manufactured by the Japanese manufacturer Honda. It is the successor to the Honda Beat (segment-wise), and the Honda S2000 (nomenclature-wise, as it also belongs to Honda's family of "S" models).

Honda S660 (JW5)
2015 Honda S660 α
Overview
ManufacturerHonda
ProductionApril 2015 – present
AssemblyJapan: Yokkaichi, Mie (Honda Auto Body)
Body and chassis
ClassKei car
Body style2-door roadster
LayoutTransverse mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Related
Powertrain
Engine656 cc S07A Turbo I3-T
Power output47 kW (63 hp; 64 PS)
Transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,285 mm (90.0 in)
Length3,395 mm (133.7 in)
Width1,475 mm (58.1 in)
Height1,180 mm (46.5 in)
Curb weight830–850 kg (1,830–1,874 lb)
Chronology
PredecessorHonda Beat

Overview

The S660 is a very lightweight mid-engined roadster. It shares a platform with the Honda N-One and uses the same 656 cc S07A engine with mechanical improvements. Its dimensions, due to kei car size restrictions, are nearly identical to the 1990s Honda Beat. It is sold with either a 6-speed manual transmission or a CVT with paddle shifters, both options being offered on the two trims available (Alpha and Beta). The S660 weighs approximately 830 kg with the manual transmission[1] and 850 kg with the CVT, and is claimed to have a front/rear weight balance of 45/55.[1]

The naming convention of using the letter "S" followed by the engine displacement is a long-held Honda tradition going back to Honda's second production car, the Honda S500 (from which the S660 draws inspiration).

Performance

The S660 is powered by the same turbocharged 656 cc S07A 3-cylinder engine used in the Honda N-One with some mechanical improvements. In the S660 this engine is mid-mounted and produces 47 kW (63 hp; 64 PS) at 6000 rpm and 104 N⋅m (77 lbf⋅ft) of torque at 2600 rpm with a redline of 7700 rpm for the manual transmission and 7000 rpm for the CVT.[2] This gives the S660 a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of upwards of 10 seconds, with Car and Driver magazine estimating it to be between 13.2 and 13.6 seconds, and a top speed of 140 km/h (87 mph).[3]

Development and launch
The prototype Honda S660
Honda S660 interior (Japan)
Rear view

A prototype was shown at the November 2013 Tokyo Motor Show.[4] The prototype and proposed production announcement were widely covered in auto enthusiast news sites and blogs.[5][6][7][8] Initial reactions to the concept were favorable.

After the S660 entered the market, its first driving review was in June 2015 of a Japanese-market prototype driven by Top Gear in Tokyo.[9] The author concluded that the car was "supremely maneuverable" but lacked power, something he hoped an export model with a larger motor would amend, and felt that such an export model might be a potential Mazda MX-5 competitor.

First photographs

The prototype S660 was photographed by car enthusiasts at a wintertime car event in early 2015 and published in the Japanese car enthusiast magazine Mag-X, and subsequently republished in the US car blog The Truth About Cars.[10] The pictures included several exterior photos and one of the opened engine compartment.

Production

The development team of the S660 was led by Ryo Mukumoto, who beat out 400 other participants in Honda's in-house competition at the age of 22. Honda made him the youngest lead engineer in the company's history in spite of his lack of engineering experience, and he was given 5 years to develop the S660.[11]

Honda Motor Co. president Takanobu Ito stated that the S660 was planned for production in 2015.[4] American Honda Motor Co. president Tetsuo Iwamura was quoted as saying "I would personally fight for it," to come to the United States if the US market asked for it.[12]

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References
  1. Oagna, Alex (11 August 2015). "2016 Honda S660". TopSpeed. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  2. "Honda S660 公式情報ページ". Honda公式ホームページ (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  3. Lyon, Peter (30 March 2015). "2015 Honda S660 Mid-Engine Roadster". Car and Driver. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  4. Miersma, Seyth (20 November 2013). "Honda S660 Concept Portends a New Kei Car for 2015". Autoblog. AOL. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  5. "2013 Tokyo Motor Show: Honda S660 Roadster Revealed, May Get Turbo One Liter Three For Export". The Truth About Cars. AutoGuide.com. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  6. George, Patrick (23 October 2013). "The Honda S660 Concept Is A Sporting Return To Form For Honda". Jalopnik. Gawker Media. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  7. Vijayenthiran, Viknesh (20 November 2013). "Honda S660 Mid-Engine Sports Car Concept Debuts In Tokyo". Motor Authority. High Gear Media. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  8. Glon, Ronan (3 January 2015). "Honda'S Next Roadster – The S660 – Will be a Mini NSX Smaller than a Chevy Spark". Digital Trends. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  9. Dobie, Steven (30 June 2015). "First Drive: Honda S660 0.7 2dr (2015-2015)". Top Gear. BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  10. Kreindler, Derek (16 February 2015). "Your First Look at the Honda S660". The Truth About Cars. AutoGuide.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  11. Author, No (30 March 2015). "Meet the 26-year-old design prodigy behind Honda's subcompact roadster". The Japan Times. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  12. Evans, Scott (20 November 2013). "American Honda CEO Wants S660 Concept in U.S. - 2013 Tokyo". Motor Trend. TEN: The Enthusiast Network. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
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