Honda S Series: S660 - S1000 - S2000

[DeBeF]

Os japoneses tiveram ali uma fase em que colocaram na Europa os seus microcars JDM.
Este era outro da altura

[BLADERUNNER]

E com a atual crise europeia e as apertadas normas de emissões Euro6, acredito que possa vir a ser comercializado por estas bandas.

Vídeos do concept S660.

東京モーターショー注目車ホンダS660è §£èª¬ #lovecars #videotopics #honda #tms2013 - YouTube

東京モーターショー注目車これがホム³ãƒ€S660だ！ #lovecars #videotopics #honda #tms2013 - YouTube

HONDA S660 - YouTube

[BLADERUNNER]

Concept S660 ao vivo.

[SevenTrixx]

Concept S660 ao vivo.

Futuro beat ou CRX ??? !!!

[Rafazzz]

É pena é vir com caixa automática...

[ks34]

Futuro beat ou CRX ??? !!!

Para o Japão será o sucessor do Beat. Para os restantes mercados seria interessante um S1000 ou S1500.

[ks34]

Algumas considerações do responsável de design do Concept S660.

New mid-engined mini-coupe could be the first of three all-new Honda sports cars

Back in 1991, Honda launched a radical 660cc mid-engined mini-car called the Beat. Built exclusively for the Japanese domestic market, it was the last car that company founder Soichiro Honda green-lighted for production before he passed away.

The Pininfarina-penned Kei-car (called ‘kei’ in Japan because of the engine size) was powered by a 660cc three-cylinder engine generating around 48kW. And yes, it was rear-wheel drive.

Now, some 22 years on, Honda is revisiting that small, mid-engined combination again with this sharp-looking S660 Concept slated for a world premiere at the Tokyo motor show in late November.

Only this time, Japan’s number three car-maker is targeting a global market.

Honda has a rich heritage when it comes to small engine capacity sports cars. The company started experimenting with tiny coupes like the 360cc S360 in 1962 and the S500 in 1963 -- around the time that the Honda-owned Suzuka circuit opened and the company started grand prix racing.

The last ‘S’ series sports car of that early era was the S800 in 1966. To celebrate its 50th anniversary in 1999, Honda brought back the ‘S’ prefix with the high-revving S2000 that finally went out of production in 2009.

By the time 2010 came around, Honda had already started designing its next ‘S’ series coupe, a concept that debuted at the 2011 Tokyo show called EV-Ster. Those six letters referred to its all-electric powertrain incorporating two motors driving the rear wheels.

Given the EV-Ster’s positive feedback at Tokyo, it is no wonder then that the S660 Concept we’ll see this year is almost identical to the original concept of two years ago.

In fact, first impressions are telling. The EV-Ster’s exaggerated grille design, edgy bonnet and rear lighting scheme have been replaced by an exterior that can only be called ‘near-production.’

Cornering senior designer Ryo Sugiura at the preview in central Tokyo, we learn that the S660 will land in showrooms by 2015 pretty much as is. That’s good, because we think it’s a real looker.

“The only addition will be a fully retractable roof which you don’t see on the concept,” he said. “Oh, one other thing -- we put more angle on the windscreen, that is, we laid it down more because we felt that an upright windscreen is old-fashioned,” says Sugiura, who admits his favourite cars are the Ferrari Dino 246 and the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33.

However, with the knowledge that electric cars are struggling to find their niche in virtually every global market, Honda opted for a turbocharged 660cc petrol engine to power the S660.

That should bode well for this mini sports car, because apart from its almost perfect 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, and a 48kW-plus engine, the coupe also gets a seven-speed CVT gearbox with paddles for manual shifting.

The engine expected to power the production S660 will be a tuned version of the engine in Honda’s popular N-One mini-car, which employs a turbocharged petrol triple generating 48kW at 6000rpm and 104Nm of torque at 2600rpm.

However, one source close to Honda says the company is currently evaluating engines for export models and may settle on a turbocharged 1.0-litre unit which should produce upwards of 75kW.

In a mini-car that tips the scales between 850 and 900kg, that would give the S660 some serious attitude where it counts.

Inside, a compact squarish steering wheel is designed to give drivers more knee room, while the cream-coloured driver's seat trim is meant to signify a driver-focused cockpit design.

But as designer Sugiura adds, “any export version, and we are not saying we have one yet, would have to undergo some major body modifications like the impact-absorbing ‘5mph bumpers’ required for the US market, as well as wider fenders and wheel-arches for larger tyres.”

Interestingly, the S660 is actually part of a bigger picture for Honda -- a picture we are hearing involves three mid-engined sports cars and a reference to the “third brother” of a mid-engined trio that Honda bosses are currently evaluating.

That new coupe, says one Honda engineer, could be similar in size and price to the Toyota 86. That’s good news because without the S2000, Honda certainly needs a compact sports car to slot in between the new NSX and the S660.

In the same way that Honda launched a range of sports cars when it entered Formula One back in the early 1960s, it is looking more like a similar scenario with a new range of sports cars destined to start landing in showrooms about the time Honda teams up with McLaren to return to F1 in 2015.

[ks34]

[ks34]

[BLADERUNNER]

[crash]

Com o anúncio de novo 1.0 turbo e 3 cilindros, e com esta pequena criatura mid-engine, espero bem que considerem exportar esta criaturazinha para mercados como o nosso.

Re-edição do Smart Roadster, mas com caixa de velocidades decente?
Yes, please!

[reckoner00]

[reckoner00]

Honda S660 set for Yokkaichi production next year - Autoblog

Roadsters, you might argue, are best when they're small and nimble. If you're thinking of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, you're on the right track, but there have been even smaller ones: pint-sized, three-cylinder roadsters like the Daihatsu Copen, Suzuki Cappuccino and Smart Roadster. But the most iconic and enduring of them was surely the Honda Beat.

Designed by Pininfarina, the Beat was – not unlike the F40 was for Enzo Ferrari – the last car approved for production by company founder Soichiro Honda. It complied with Japan's strict Kei car regulations and packed a tiny, naturally aspirated 656 cc that produced just 63 horsepower. The cult classic ended production in 1996, but six months ago Honda hinted at a revival with the presentation of the S660 concept at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. Now it seems Honda – or Yachiyo, we should say – is gearing up to put it into production at the same factory that produced the Beat two decades ago.

That plant is the Yokkaichi factory, a facility owned by Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd. that builds small cars on contract for Honda. It was slated for a major expansion a few years ago until Honda shifted some of its small car production to its own plant in Suzuka, but continues to build the N series of boxy, upright hatchbacks, as well as small commercial vehicles like the Life and Vamos lines. The reintroduction of a small roadster line to the factory's output sometime in 2015 will undoubtedly be a cause for celebration in Yokkaichi. For our part we can only hope that American Honda CEO Tetsuo Iwamura gets his way and manages to bring the S660 to the US in the near future.

[reckoner00]

Honda S660 takes shape

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, hasconfirmed 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.


Rendering:

[REDLINER]

Interessante....Muito interessante...

[crash]

Interessante....Muito interessante...

yyyeeeessss....

Venha de lá ele. Daqui a uns poucos anos quero estar indeciso entre um MX-5, um S1000 e o MX-5 italianizado
Só falta mesmo um MR2 para o ramalhete ficar completo

[reckoner00]

Se filtran los detalles del pequeño Honda S660 definitivo

[ks34]

Fotos Espia no Japão

[ks34]

A primeira versão a chegar ao mercado será limitada a 660 unidades e conta com mais potência e equipamento. Transmissão manual 6 velocidades, CVT opcional.

Fotos de Ito-san e CTR como extra.

[ks34]

[reckoner00]

Interior do S660

[Alpiger]

O Honda Beat foi dos carrosmais curtidos que ja conduzi

[reckoner00]

[ks34]

[Levezinho]

Desconhecia este futuro carro da Honda!
Está fabulástico! Se o motor chegar perto dos 180cv na versão mais potente, seria fantástico!

[ShakesBeer]

O interior parece bastante simples, prático e funcional. Venha ele. Estou muito curioso

[reckoner00]

[reckoner00]

[Mrodrigues]

Belo regresso.

[reckoner00]

Honda S660 review | Auto Express

Honda is on a mission to inject some sportiness back into its brand. We saw the new NSX and Civic Type R at the recentGeneva show, it’s F1 engine supplier comeback is underway and now it’s added a third, somewhat smaller, performance car to its range. First shown in concept form at the 2013 Tokyo show, the S660 is a spiritual successor to the Beat, sold here in the early nineties.

Like the Beat it features a mid-engined layout, with a 660cc, three-cylinder turbocharged engine to meet tax laws in its home market of Japan, but there’s a twist. An inside source told us that the company is also currently working on an export version, that’s earmarked for the UK, with a more powerful 1.0 litre turbo, rumoured to pump out more than 127bhp. Now that would give the new Mazda MX-5 a real run for its money…

As we arrived at Sodegaura Forest Raceway, 90 minutes southwest of Tokyo, three S660s sat in the paddock looking almost identical to the 2013 concept car that spawned them - a rare treat these days. The S660 is the result of an in-house contest that began four years ago where over 400 young engineers submitted ideas for new vehicles to company bosses, and the S660 design came out on top.

Honda has developed a one-off mid-engine, rear-wheel drive chassis just for the S660 constructed out of an aluminium and steel sub-frame that’s stiffer than the old S2000. The Japan-spec S660 might be fitted with an uninspiring 63bhp engine, but we’re told this chassis could take more than twice that power. You can feel the rigidity, too, in high-speed corners or under full braking.






Tipping the scales at just 830kg, the S660 employs the same three-cylinder, 660cc turbocharged engine found in the popular N-Box kei-car. However, to improve throttle response, engineers have revised the turbo geometry to produce quicker off the mark acceleration and stronger mid-range torque.

To lift the overall performance of the engine, the redline is raised from 7,000rpm to 7,700rpm, while a deeper oil pan helps to cope with the higher G-forces during cornering and braking. The turbo spools up at around 2,500rpm and delivers a healthy dose of torque right up to the redline. It’s between 5,000 and 7,700 rpm that the engine really comes to life, though, letting out a high-pitched metallic raspy roar that betrays the engine’s tiny capacity.
Following in the footsteps of the S2000’s legendary gearbox and shifter, the S660 incorporates a notchy transmission with delightfully short throws and just the right amount of synchro in all gears. It has well-positioned pedals, a light clutch and the gear ratios are superbly matched to the engine.

We realize that there is not a lot of power on tap, but even when pushed into a corner at 60mph, the rear end just does not budge. Honda’s ‘Agile Handling Assist’ system regulates brake pressure to the inside front wheel to enhance cornering, and to complete the package, specially developed 15-inch Yokohama Advan Neova tyres provide traction levels previously unheard of in kei-car handling.





The downside of all that grips, and the fact that the traction control can’t be switched off, is there’s no oversteer to play around with. But there’s no understeer either, just solid, dependable handling. There’s just enough weight in the steering, sufficient feedback and a crisp turn-in. And yes, even a six foot two inch journalist can sit fully inside the cockpit and change gears without smashing his knees on the steering wheel. Only just, mind you.

Inside, the cabin is tight, but comfortable. The extra-small 350mm diameter steering wheel fits nicely in the palms and the stick shift is exactly where it should be. Seats sit low in the frame, trim levels and interior materials are plasticky yet passable, and the large centrally-located tachometer sets the tone, while the dash-mounted display offers drivers the option of a game-like G-meter that gives cornering and braking Gs in real time.

Perhaps our only question marks are the lack of raw power and fiddly soft-top roof, which must be manually folded away and placed in the tiny boot. But other than that, the S660 takes the kei-car genre to new heights. Considering Europe’s ever-more-crowded roads, it’s a game-changer and one we’re praying makes it to the UK with that gutsier 1.0-litre powerplant.


Key specs

• Price: 1,980,000 yen (£11,130)
• Engine: 660cc three-cylinder turbo
• Power: 63bhp

• Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive

• Economy/CO2: n/a
• On sale: 2016 (est)

Verdict - 4/5*

What’s not to like about a small, sporty and affordable mid-engined Honda? The S660 proves that Honda is creeping back to its best and shows performance cars can come in all shapes and sizes. If Honda decides to fit it with a more powerful engine and export it to Europe, as we sincerely hope it does, then the MX-5 could have some serious competition.