#Honda S600 SM convertible

[diabolus1exmachina]

Honda S600 SM convertible 

The Honda S600 is a remnant from Honda's fledgling days of building cars. They launched production of their first automobile, the T360 kei truck, in 1963. Their second car, the ambitious S500 sports car, was put into production shortly after, sowing the seeds for its successor, the S600, which featured an engine enlarged from 531cc to 606cc. The S600 was built between 1964 and 1966, with a total of 13,084 S600s built in both roadster and fastback coupe body styles. In 1964, a year after its launch, the company immediately set about updating it and the result was the S600. Their new car took the predecessor’s high performance and helped Honda’s name become more well known in the 4-wheeled world. The biggest change was to the engine, engine displacement was increased to 606cc to overcome the previous generation's lack of torque at low revs. The result was 57hp at an astonishing 94hp per litre. It reached a top speed of 145kph, a number comparable to that of a sports car with twice the displacement. It’s beautifully styled body is of course one of the factors that make it a classic. The long bonnet gave it a typical sports car look and it only weighed 695 kg which meant that it was both attractive to look at and fun to drive. Honda was already known for their success in motorcycle racing and they entered the world of car racing with the S600. In May of 1964, at the second Japanese Grand Prix, held at the Suzuka circuit, it suddenly became a force to be reckoned with. The top positions in the 1,300cc class were completely dominated by the S600s. All 11 cars that competed finished the race and took the circuit by storm. The success was not just domestic. That same year, the team took part in the Nürburgring 500km race and won its class. This was the first time a Japanese sports car had won a race in Europe, the home of motorsport. The S600 had all the elements to win the hearts of young car lovers: design, driving enjoyment and performance.Honda's experience with small, rev-happy engines gained from their motorcycle production aided them in building the power plants for these early sports cars, which Honda later paid tribute to with their S2000.