The collection of the ZeitHaus automobile museum in the Autostadt in Wolfsburg is cross-brand and comprises around 260 vehicles from more than 60 manufacturers. A milestone in automotive history is the Honda S 800 - the first model from a Japanese manufacturer to be officially exported to Germany.
The compact two-seater, available as a coupé or roadster, shaped Honda's sporty image in Germany from 1967 and was also the start of the export offensive for Japanese automobiles - at a comparatively low new price of DM 7750. European engine builders used the S 800 as a study object and model, as its technology was highly developed: 67 hp output with a displacement of 791 cubic centimetres and engine speeds of up to 10,000 rpm were only known from motor racing in the 1960s.
Honda's debut as a car manufacturer
Founded in 1945 under the name Honda Motor Company Ltd., the company developed into Japan's leading motorcycle manufacturer in the 1950s. With the debut of the S 360 and S 500, a small sports car presented in two displacement variants, the company introduced its first automobile in 1963 - followed by the "S 600" convertible in 1964 and an "S 600" coupé in 1965. At the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of 1965, Honda presented the S 800, and exports to Germany began in 1967 with the founding of its own sales company in Hamburg. A total of 11,523 Honda S 800s were produced between 1966 and 1970.
A comprehensive report on the Honda S800 can of course be found in the Zwischengas article archive.
