The car you see here is classified as a ‘Kei Ji Dosha’ translated as ‘light automobile’ or Kei Car in Japan. Meant originally as a class for affordable post war transportation, the size and engine capacity limits have grown to 3400mm length and 1480mm width. Engine capacity is capped at 660cc and 64PS. While most Kei cars in Japan are of the one box tall boy variety like Suzuki Spacia, Honda N-Box and Daihatsu Tanto, once in a while a car maker decides to make a pure sports car in this category. The last Honda Kei sports car was the ‘Beat’. A open Mid Engine rear drive with high revving MITREC NA engine as part of the “ABC” trio.
In 2015, the Beat found a new successor when Honda released the S660. Things are a little complicated here. The name plate makes it technically in the ‘S’ series with the S500-800 and S2000. But it’s the same Mid Engine rear drive this time with a more rigid targa top. The new S07A turbo 3 cylinder engine with VVT still is limited to the regulation 64PS from the factory.
Spoon sports saw a chance to tune the S660 into their idea of an ideal micro super car with this very demo development car that I had the privilege to take for a week and review. Many parts on this car such as the carbon fibre bonnet and engine hood are still prototypes as well as the upgraded turbo and intercooler. What is available for sale are the N1 exhaust, full coil over suspension, 4 pot brake caliper kit, frame reinforcement dampers, steering and under body and sub frame reinforcement plates. The engine is a complete balanced Spoon engine tuned to 95PS (120PS before but it had reliability issues ) combined with its 820kg weight and uprated F: 195/50R16 R: 225/50R16 RE71R tyres, acceleration as fast as a 1.8 litre engine. The light nose and sharp handling is evident on the tight corners of Hakone, making it almost unfair as it effortlessly darts into corners and sticks to the road in a way only formula car can do.
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