Small enough to hide behind a Miata, high-revving enough to remind you of a motorcycle, and initially featuring a chain drive, I had always kind of assumed that there was more motorcycle than car technology in the Honda S800. According to the latest episode of Revelations with Jason Cammisa, though, I was wrong.
Although Honda’s Sx00 series certainly benefited from the company’s history as a motorcycle manufacturer, the inline-four that actually powered the S800 (and the roadsters that preceded it) doesn’t have all that much in common with the brand’s motorcycles at the time.
The 791 cc, water-cooled twin-overhead-cam engine was vastly different from the air-cooled two-stroke twins that were powering Honda’s motorcycles at the time. Indeed, between 1957 and 1958 Honda hired nearly 50 new engineers in preparation for the car’s (and a small van’s) development.
Also Read: Immaculate 1967 Honda S800 Coupe Goes For $22,000 [w/Video]
The engine that would eventually power it had independent throttle bodies and could rev all the way to 9,500 RPM. Later S800s were limited to 8,500 but remained a riot to drive.
According to Cammisa, the engine has a surprising amount of grunt down low, despite its diminutive size. Mind you, that size does mean that in top gear, at 60 mph, you’re revving at around 5,000 rpm. As he points out, a Viper could hit that speed at those revs in first gear.
But since it weighed in at just 1,700 lbs, or a full thousand pounds less than a BRZ, it could still hit 100 mph. That also means that the ’60s brakes aren’t scary and the lack of power steering is only ever an advantage.
For fans of Hondas and small cars in general, the SX00 range is more than worthy of however much attention it receives.