Do you still remember the light and fun Beat and S2000 roadsters? It belongs to the time when Honda paid for a big player in the sports car segment and practically everything from the pocket-sized Beat to the NSX , a genuine competitor to Porsche or Ferrari, offered an endless amount of fun. Over time, however, the Beat, S2000 and NSX were discontinued, leaving only the Civic Type R. Recently, however, it seems that the sports department of the Japanese automaker, despite the failure in Formula 1, is experiencing an unprecedented renaissance – at the beginning of the year, the all- new generation NSX arrived, and now the light and fun S660 roadster, based on the concept of the same name from two years ago, is back in the game flight!
Good news right off the bat? The design of the 3395 mm long production version is almost identical to the concept car, what's more, thanks to the beautiful yellow paint, you can see the clear inspiration from the now somewhat forgotten Beat. But it's not all about yellow, because Honda will offer several similar pastel colors , which contrast with the gray design around the front and rear LED lights. They are probably the most reminiscent of the new NSX, and it is an exaggeration to call the S660 a scaled-down NSX. The appearance of the 15-inch wheels at the front and 16-inch wheels at the rear in specially developed Yokohama Advan Neova tires with dimensions of 165/55 R15 and 195/45 R16 is also very nice. The narrow mirrors do not have integrated LED blinkers as in the concept, but they "copy" the appearance of Formula 1 even more. Even thanks to the placement of the engine in the middle, Honda could not succumb to the trend of fixed folding roofs, so you can manually fold the classic canvas into the small trunk according to the pre-prepared instructions. For an additional fee, an active rear spoiler will be available, which automatically extends at speeds above 70 km/h.
An aluminum chassis with a rear steel subframe was developed especially for the kei roadster, which ensures a higher rigidity of the entire car compared to the Honda S2000. As already mentioned, the turbocharged engine is located in the middle and has a standard displacement of 0.66 liters in the kei class (hence the name S660). The maximum power is limited to 64 hp by the rules, which are available up to 7700 rpm in the case of a six-speed manual transmission, the stepless automatic CVT has an upper limit set 700 rpm lower. Along with a torque of 104 Nm, all the power goes to the rear wheels (weight distribution 45:55). Some colleagues have already had the opportunity to take a short ride with the little Honda and speak about it almost exclusively in superlatives. The paths of the individual stages are short and precise, in addition perfectly matched to the engine, the steering is light with good feedback and the chassis offers exemplary grip, neither understeer nor oversteer. The turbo starts to take over around 2500 rpm, but the power unit feels the best between 5000-7700 rpm. What will certainly help a good time on the circuit are the pedals located at an ideal distance from each other, in the case of the Agile Handling Assist system, which by braking the wheel with less traction helps to distribute the engine power to the wheel with more grip. The Japanese automaker is not yet talking about driving dynamics, but the 830 kg S660 will definitely not be a drag on traffic.
The first thing that catches your eye in the interior is a small steering wheel with a diameter of 350 mm in combination with a digital speedometer and an analog tachometer. They form one alarm clock and have a central position, accompanied by two on-board computer displays. After pressing the Sport button in the case of an automatic or the Select button in the case of a manual, the instruments will be tinted red, which better corresponds with the overall color of the roadster. The center console consists of several buttons for controlling the climate control and the radio, respectively, an additional 6.1-inch display located on top of it displays the current overload (the maximum overload in corners is 1.2 g), the time or the projection of the image of the optional parking camera. The seats have a sporty shape and will be available in several shades of upholstery. Some versions of the S660 also get a city braking system for an additional fee.
In addition, very positive news for the European comes from unverified sources inside the car company. Honda is strongly considering exporting the small roadster to the old continent as well! On this occasion, a 129bhp liter turbo would appear under the hood, changing the model's name to S1000 . However, the essence would remain the same!
If we jump back to the Japanese version, it will be available right from the start with the original design and functional elements of Modulo. The basic version without them will cost 1,980,000 yen (approx. 413,000 crowns) and that is dangerously close to the new Mazda MX-5. For lovers of limited series, Honda has prepared the S660 Concept model, based on the concept image, with a roof in the shade of Bordeaux, two-tone mirrors, an exhaust tip with an exclusive surface and paint, respectively side windows with a water-repellent layer. The sports leather seats received a unique red stitching, the same can be said about the leather steering wheel and gear lever head. In addition to the multimedia system, the city braking system also appears in the equipment. A total of 660 units will be produced at a price of 2,380,000 yen (approx. 506,000 crowns) for manual and automatic transmission.
Source: Honda, Auto Express, Car Watch
