Honda S800 - the son of a Grand Prix winner

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Honda S800 - the son of a Grand Prix winner

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Created on June 11, 2015

Text:

Bruno von Rotz, translated by DeepL

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Balz Schreier

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Bruno von Rotz

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - barely longer than a Mini

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - when it is started, it no longer looks inconspicuous at all

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - the gray paint camouflages the small sports car

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - everything a sports car needs

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - 1.4 meters wide

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - looks a bit chubby from behind

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - visually not very spectacular, the appeal came from the engine

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - 162 km/h fast back then

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - offered the better feeling of space compared to the Cabriolet (with the roof closed)

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - barrel organ on the road

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - one of the fastest in its class at the time

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - almost 4500 rpm at just 80 km/h

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - the lateral support is mainly due to the confined space

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - tank on the left, easily accessible trunk

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - sporty interior for two passengers

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - sporty cockpit design

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - the steering wheel comes from the aftermarket

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - it didn't run at 200 km/h, but it could also rev above 10,000 rpm

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - everything you need for fast driving

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - the gearshift is perfectly positioned next to the steering wheel

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - short gearshift, short shift travel

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - the gearshift leads directly into the gearbox

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - toggle switch for horn

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - red zone from 8500 rpm, could also be revved higher

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - did the handbrake really deserve the biggest light?

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - Honda dispensed with an oil pressure gauge

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - the showpiece of an engine seen from above

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - four Keihin-Seiki carburetors

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - these four carburetors take care of the mixture preparation

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - nostalgic-looking fuse box

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - Brake mechanism

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - Chassis identification

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - a little chrome was allowed

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - the Honda sign on the radiator grille

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - Powerdome on the hood

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - clearly labeled on the flank

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - labeled on both flanks

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - filigree door handles

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - Club membership

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - Steel rims and wheel covers

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - small rear lights

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Honda S800 Coupé (1969) - two exhaust pipes, spare wheel under the trunk

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Honda S 360 (1962) - looks even more elegant than its successor, the S 500

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Honda S500 (1964) - the forerunner of the Honda S600 and S800

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Honda S 500 (1964) - from motorcycle to car, high-performance engine with only 0.5 liter displacement but double camshaft for valve timing - Geneva Motor Show 1964

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Honda S 500 (1964) - Chassis of the small Japanese roadster - the rear wheels are driven by chains - Geneva Motor Show 1964

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Honda S 500 (1963) - hardly any other engine revved so high at that time

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Honda S 600 (1965) - the lady also seems to enjoy this convertible at an exhibition

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Honda S 600 (1967) - advanced technology in a small package

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Honda S600 (1965) - the predecessor of the S800 still used chains for power transmission to the rear axle

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Honda S 600 (1965) - Advertising photo of the Coupé

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Honda S800 (1966) - convertible with closed roof, there was also a hardtop for sale

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Honda S800 M (1969) - compact convertible

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Honda S800 (1966) - Coupé and Cabriolet were only 1.4 meters wide

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Honda S800 (1966) - View through the practical tailgate of the coupé

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Honda S800 (1966) - Coupé and Cabriolet were around 1.2 meters high

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Honda S800 (1966) - Rear view of the convertible

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Honda S800 (1966) - the convertible top wr fully retractable

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Honda S800 (1966) - the convertible cuts a fine figure even when closed

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Honda S800 (1966) - side view of the coupé

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Honda S800 (1966) - Brochure photo of the convertible

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Honda S800 (1966) - Coupé and Cabriolet on the 1966 handbook

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Honda S800 (1966) - Shipping convertibles with the Francis Drake

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Honda S800 (1967) - also popular in Germany

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Honda S800 (1967) - View into the cockpit of the convertible

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Honda S800 (1967) - the coupé offered more trunk space

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Honda S800 (1967) - driving is particularly fun in a convertible

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Honda S800 (1968) - the convertible sold less well in this country

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Honda S800 (1968) - the coupé only 3.34 meters long

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Honda S800 (1968) - Rear view of the S800M convertible with right-hand drive

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Honda S800 (1966) - the rev counter goes up to 11,000 rpm

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Honda S800 (1969) - as a coupé in the sales brochure

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Honda S800 (1969) - as Coupé and Cabriolet on a sales brochure

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Honda S800 (1969) - the proud owner of the new coupé

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Honda S800 (1969) - probably the only coupé with a sprayed-on plastic roof

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Honda S800 (1969) - Seat test in the coupé

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Honda S800 (1969) - Coupé ready for racing

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Honda S800 (1969) - Schottenring in 1970

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Honda S800 (1969) - the racing convertible in the paddock

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Honda S800 (1969) - as a pure racing car, the S800 was no longer allowed on the road

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Honda S800 (1969) - Work on the racing convertible

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Honda S800 (1969) - at the ADAC Rheinruhr Pokal race in 1972

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Honda S800 (1969) - at the ADAC 300 km race at the Nürburgring in 1972

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Honda S800 (1968) - the engine with two overhead camshafts

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Honda S800 (1966) - Shift diagram for sporty and economical driving style

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Summary

Between 1966 and 1970, Honda built the S800 as a coupé and convertible. In contrast to its predecessor, the S600, which was only occasionally seen in this country, Honda also sold the speedster in our latitudes with some success. Anyone who heard it was thrilled, because its engine revved up to 9000 rpm and even significantly higher if necessary. And this was at a time when Formula 1 engines delivered their maximum power at well below 10,000 rpm. This driving report describes the S800 and shows it in current and historical pictures, supplemented by several sales brochures, technical data and the 80-page manual from back then.

This article contains the following chapters

From the S360 to the S800
An engine that was born on the racetrack
As a coupé or convertible
Very competitive
"Small scoop"
Suitable for racing?
Racing feeling at 60 km/h
Sales success?
Large fan base

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

In the 1960s, Japanese cars were still considered unknown exotics in this country and were rarely seen on the roads. However, Honda, which had already attracted attention with its motorcycles, entered Formula 1 in 1964 and won its first Grand Prix in 1965. Building cars was the obvious next step. And with small four-cylinder sports cars, they proved that they could do some things better than their European competitors. Honda had already presented its first sports car at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1962. The car was called the S360 and had an engine of only 356 cm3. Even then, there was an alternative version with 492 cm3. This was followed by the S500 with 531 cm3 and finally the S600 with 606 cm3. What all these cars had in common was that the engine power developed at high engine speeds was transmitted via a short shaft to the differential and from there to the rear wheels via chains that were guided in the rear wheel swing arms.

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