Honda’s S660 Roadster Spotted In Tennessee

by Paolo Acoba of www.artofgears.com

A lone Honda S660 was spotted on a Tennesse interstate in RHD trim. 

Update: Rumor has it that this particular model is owned by the Lane Motor Museum. They also have a Honda Beat in their collection, the predecessor to this S660.

It looks like the rumor mill for a Honda S660 being exported for other markets is alive and well and this latest spotting surely adds fuel to that fire. According to Chicagoland Petrolheads and car meets member Paul Bulthuis, this particularly clean looking Honda S660 in right-hand drive trim was spotted on Interstate 65 just three miles north of Murfreesboro.

Rumors based on a couple of quotes from Honda management have been floating around for a couple of months now stating how Honda is trying its best to ready this kei-car for U.S. export. Albeit if it makes it down here there’ll be a bit more punch under the rear engine cover. These latest photos certainly stoke our interest as to what this little roadster is doing on U.S. soil. Check out a couple of photos of the potential Miata fighter below and let us know what you think about this car coming over the Pacific in the comments below.

If our motoring friends down under are to be believed, according to their inside source earlier last week,  a special Honda S1000 is already greenlighted for international export. Instead of the 660cc three-cylinder currently churning away underneath the S660, Honda already has a 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder developed by Mugen ready to shoehorned in its place. This’ll take the roadster from 63 HP all the way to a more palatable 125 HP.

When Top Gear tested out this new 1.0 turbo triple (in FWD trim btw) they were impressed by how much torque this powerplant had. Stuff it in a car that already weighs a lithe 1,830 pounds and you’ve got the recipe for some real fun.

According to Paul, compared to other American sized cars surrounding the roadster, it looked small. As it should be. Being a good two feet shorter in length than a Miata, there are few cars on the road as short as an S660. It is as wide as a Miata though. Wikipedia lists an S1000 with slightly larger dimensions in length, width and height but no source to back it up.

Honda is doing its best to bring exciting products to market. With the introduction of the Honda Civic with 1.5T (that happens to be killing it in the showrooms), its best-selling Accord and the all-new Acura NSX, Honda is off to a strong start on its revival here in the states. If this S660 to S1000 sighting makes the leap to a confirmed statement of development from Honda, who knows what other exciting products they might have up their sleeves.

We’ve reached out to Honda for comment but have heard nothing back yet. We’ll keep you posted on any developments.

For those interested in seeing what the front end looks like....

Source;
https://artofgears.com/2016/04/04/hondas-s660-roadster-spotted-in-tennessee/

TOV: Honda S1000 and Honda S2000 get speculatively brought to life

Best Car Magazine

Holiday Auto Magazine

Source;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=1272425

Honda still plotting mid-engined sports car trio

S2000 successor with e-AWD tech from Pikes Peak CR-Z could slot in between S1000 and NSX in mid-engined Honda sports range

Why do we keep coming back to what Honda’s doing? And why should we care? Because with several high-profile launches under its belt and more to come, Honda is by far the most happening Japanese car-maker right now.

Emerging from a long performance product hibernation and several painful recalls with a bang, Honda last year launched a ground-breaking new Accord Hybrid and 660cc N-Box mini-car, followed by an all-new Legend flagship. Sadly, only the Accord Hybrid will be sold in Australia, from mid-June.

Then, earlier this year, Honda not only made its long-awaited comeback to Formula 1, but launched new versions of its Stepwagon and Grace mini-vans, and Japan’s hottest ever mini-car (kei-car), the turbocharged S660 sportster.

As we’ve reported, Australia can look forward to a meaner-looking, gutsier 1.0-litre turbo S1000 packing around 95kW by late 2016. Honda has also just started a world tour to introduce its radical new business plane, the HondaJet.

At this year's Tokyo motor show in October, Honda will finally reveal the production version of what it claims will be the world’s fastest front-drive coupe, the new Civic Type-R, which used its 228kW 2.0-litre turbo four to set a new front-drive production car lap record of 7:50 at the Nurburgring in Germany.

In an effort to stagger its hero-car launches, expect to see the final production version of the four-wheel drive hybrid NSX supercar in early 2016, after its official unveiling at the Tokyo show.

From what we’re hearing, that’s just part of the story. Honda is currently working on two other cars that kind of sit neatly between the NSX and S660 in terms of performance and price.

Yes, we are referring to reinterpreted versions of the CR-Z and S2000, and if these two artist’s impressions from Japan's Best Car magazine prove accurate, the CR-Z successor (pictured in blue) and born-again S2000 (white) should take Honda’s street cred to a whole new level.

With its mild 1.5-litre hybrid system, the previous CR-Z might have looked the real deal with its sharp, wedge-shaped styling, but it did not deliver on the performance side. Honda plans to change all that with a radical new CR-Z prototype destined to blast up the legendary Pikes Peak hill climb in June.

Japan’s third largest car-maker has taken a current model CR-Z and fitted it with four electric motors — technology inherited directly from the Legend’s rear-motor SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) system, but now extending to motors on both the front and rear axles.

Entered in the Challenge Exhibition category, the Pikes Peak CR-Z "is a prototype that Honda has created to test how electric drive handles when pushed to the absolute limits,” says a source inside Honda.

This is nothing new for Honda, which introduced the electrified SH-AWD system in the Legend and will also incorporate it into the front axle of the NSX.

Honda's e-AWD technology will eventually permeate all of Honda’s sports models, but the system that powers the Pikes Peak CR-Z will not be a pointer to the production CR-Z.

“Do not expect to see the new CR-Z as a road-going version of the Pikes Peak car," said our source. "We are only using it as a racing test mule for an all-wheel-drive electric powertrain, one that will most probably not be used on the next CR-Z."

Boasting an updated version of SH-AWD, the Pikes Peak CR-Z will feature independently operating electric motors that not only distribute torque to all four wheels depending on demand, but also offer a new generation rear-wheel steer function that is said to enhance cornering speed.

It's understood Honda is currently evaluating a petrol-electric powertrain incorporating the same turbocharged three-cylinder 1.0-litre engine that will power the S1000, paired with an electric motor to develop a total power output of 162kW.

Such a powertrain would be ideal for the CR-Z, but a replacement for the discontinued compact coupe appears far from certain.

“Truth be known, our engineers might be working on a more efficient electric four-wheel drive system in the Pikes Peak CR-Z, but that will not directly lead to a road-going all-electric CR-Z. We still need to evaluate exactly where a new CR-Z would fit into our sports car hierarchy,” said our insider.

“I should tell you that while we are looking at the potential of electric 4WD in the Pikes Peak CR-Z, the powers that be in our R&D section are leaning strongly towards channelling development funds away from the CR-Z and into an S2000 successor.”

We've written about a mid-engined replacement for the original S2000 before, but if it eventuates it would slot perfectly between the NSX at the top of Honda's line-up and the S660 at the lower end, filling the hole in between and giving the company a direct rival for mid-size sports cars like the Porsche Boxster and Cayman.

A born-again S200 would also make Honda the first car-maker to offer a threesome of mid-engined sports cars spanning such a wide price band, from about $30,000 for the S1000 to potentially over $200,000.

While the NSX will knock horns with the Porsche 911 and the S1000 would give the Toyota 86, Mazda MX-5 and Alfa 124 a run for their money, a reinterpreted S2000 could take the challenge right up to Stuttgart's mid-engined sports cars, as well as the Audi TT, BMW Z4, Mercedes-Benz SLK and Nissan 370Z.

The reincarnated S2000 successor would employ a mid-mounted four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine to drive the rear wheels but it's now believed it will, like the NSX, also incorporate a twin-motor system up front, making it all-wheel drive.

But what would power a new S2000? Our insider says engineers are currently evaluating a detuned version of the Civic Type-R's 2.0-litre turbo, but he adds that a smaller, more efficient 1.5-litre turbo engine/motor combination married to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission would generate at least 300hp (221kW) and bring the total cost to somewhere between $55,000 and $75,000.

Whether Honda gives the production green light for an S2000 successor — or indeed a new CR-Z — will, according to our insider, depend on how Honda's sales progress in the world’s two major markets: the US and China.

Another senior Honda engineer we spoke to recently says he really wants to make a mid-engined S2000. Here's hoping the company is successful enough in those markets to allow it to push the button on a born-again S2000 and create a tantalising mid-engined sports trio from Honda, or at least offer an affordable, more serious CR-Z.

Source;
http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2015/honda/honda-still-plotting-mid-engined-sports-car-trio-50749

Is Honda's S660 Targeting U.S. Markets?

Honda light weight sports car S660, which aroused much excitement among auto enthusiasts around the globe, will probably target U.S. clients in future. The open top, two-seat car is expected to hit Japanese market by March with a price tag of around $17,000. The concept model was unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2015.

The new model has certain resemblances to Honda Beat Roadster that was launched in early 1990's. Beat was a 'Kei car' with a turbocharged 660 cc rear drive engine. S660 has a 660 cc engine with 63 horsepower at 600 rpm and rear wheels with six-speed manual. The car is light and would weigh 1830 pounds and 2116 pounds with accessories

There were reports that Honda was planning for more power S 1000 for exports.

Honda S1000/S660

by RTT Staff Writer

Source;
http://www.rttnews.com/2457531/is-honda-s-s660-targeting-u-s-markets.aspx

Honda S660 takes shape

Compact mid-engined sports coupe ready for Japanese launch, and a more powerful version could come here

Honda will not confirm the launch of its hot new mid-engined S660 mini-coupe outside of Japan just yet. But then again, it’s not denying it either. And that’s good news.

Why? Because we’ve heard stories before about Japan-only models not headed to certain major markets but eventually finding their way onto container ships.

Remember the Honda Jazz, the compact car that debuted in Japan in 2001, but took three long years to reach the US? The S660 looks like following in the Jazz’s footsteps. But its overseas debut could be much sooner and looks like packing a far bigger punch that the Japan-spec model.

Honda revealed the S660 last year's Tokyo motor show and, as we revealed in May, has confirmed it for production by January, before first examples hit Japanese showrooms in February. However, while Honda Australia is keen on the S660, it is yet to be confirmed for introduction in any export markets.

The rear-wheel drive mini-coupe employs a mid-engined, turbocharged 660cc petrol engine generating upwards of 48kW mated to a choice of either six-speed manual or CVT gearboxes, the latter with flappy paddles.

That doesn't sound like much, but when you're talking about a coupe that weighs well under 900kg, 48kW takes on a whole new meaning.

And this is where the story gets interesting. For those in Japan and other Asian markets who feel that 47kW just isn't enough, Honda is working on a tweaked S660 that delivers around 66kW and incorporates the best from the company’s aeroparts bin.

As can be seen in this artist’s impression of what the souped-up S660 could look like, the coupe will employ a carbon-fibre front spoiler and rear wing as well as flared wheel-arches and larger wheels.

But to an international audience of sports car enthusiasts that expects more power and thrills — especially from a company that boasts the NSX, S2000 and Civic Type-R — Honda is planning an even more powerful export model.

In addition to the 66kW version of the Japan-spec S660, our sources have revealed that Honda R&D is currently testing an export model – rumoured to be called the S1000 — that will be fitted with a more powerful 1.0 litre turbocharged petrol engine, wider body and bigger wheels.

We tested just such an engine in a Civic prototype last year and it showed great promise and pace with more than 103kW. Obviously Honda’s racing arm Mugen (which is currently putting the final touches on the McLaren-Honda F1 engine for 2015) will have a pivotal role in fine-tuning the hottest S660.

Honda is very much aware of the next-generation Mazda MX-5, due to hit showrooms late next year. While there will also be a 2.0-litre developing around 125kW, the base model will come with a 1.5-litre engine offering around 100kW — right in the S1000’s ballpark.

Also fresh in Honda product planning’s collective mind will be the recent collaboration of Caterham and Suzuki, who combined forces to create the Seven 160, a Caterham powered by a Suzuki-built 60kW 660cc three-cylinder turbocharged petrol.

The S660 and S1000 will take the ballgame right up to Mazda and Suzuki with a sharp-looking, mid-engined coupe that will offer Honda’s famed handling and short-throw gearboxes.

But Honda is not stopping there. Remember the electric EV-STER concept  that debuted at the 2011 Tokyo show? Strangely, or maybe not so, that coupe strongly resembled the S660.

So Honda may not have just built the S660 to accommodate small petrol engines, but also allowed for an EV powertrain to be dropped straight into its engine bay, thus creating a small electric city sports-commuter.

A mid-engined coupe with petrol and electric options? Could this be a sign of future things to come Honda? Expect the S1000 to emerge in early 2016 (around the same time the new NSX arrives in Australia) and the EV version to follow it by 2017.


Source;
http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2014/honda/honda-s660-takes-shape-47399