Honda S660 Could Inspire More Powerful Sports Cars

With the Scion  FR-S  , Subaru  BRZ  , and Mazda  MX-5  , we aren’t exactly experiencing a drought of small, affordable, rear-driven Japanese sports cars. But that certainly doesn’t mean we shouldn’t hope to add one more to the list with the S660  . Back in 2013, Honda  announced the concept at the Tokyo Motor Show  as a successor to the 90s era Beat  . The idea is simple; take an extremely light, compact roadster, and drop in a mid-mounted, 660-cc, turbocharged, three-cylinder engine good enough for 64 horsepower. While that may not sound like a whole lot, the real performance figures depend on what this two-seater will ultimately weigh. If curb weight ticks in at under a ton, like the concept version, the S660 could be the proverbial road-going go-kart.
As production starts to swing into action, it’s unclear whether the S660 will ever make it off of the shores of Japan. However, according to the Australian publication Motoring.com.au, it’s possible that Honda will create more powerful versions to offer international markets. This includes both a tuned-up version of the 660-cc engine rated at 88 horsepower, and a rumored 1.0-liter turbo model, called the S1000, with 138 horsepower. Both could incorporate larger wheels, fender arches, and carbon-fiber aero.
Additionally, as Motoring.com.au points out, the EV-STER concept  , which debuted in 2011, bears a striking resemblance to the new S660, perhaps hinting at an electric  powertrain for the coupe  sometime in the future.
With Honda’s long history of creating small, fun sports cars,  we certainly hope to get our hands on the new S660 and its beefed-up brethren. If not, then scratch another entry into the list of cool cars we’ll never flog on US soil.

Why it matters

In the past, compact sports cars with small-displacement motors never really caught on in the United States. The demand simply never emerged in the birthplace American iron.
Now, however, it appears as though the landscape is changing. Small and efficient is en vogue, and with this new popularity comes all sorts of interesting vehicles that rely on simplicity, rather than brute force, to yield performance-induced grins. If the S660 or S1000 do make it here, it’ll be interesting to see how they fair against more established performers. Is the U.S. ready for a sports car with less than 150 horsepower, even if it’s super lightweight and handles like it’s on rails? The popularity of the Mazda MX-5 says yes, but only time will tell.

Honda S660 

Gallery Honda S660 Concept

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