Honda S800 - cool car?
Discussion
Grunt not revs said:
Yes and no. Helpful. Or not. Depending upon whose opinion you seek.
If anybody else has anything constructive to say, that'd be pretty useful.
OK, straight answer from me. Yes, they're "cool" (if that's the right word). I'd love one, although I'm not sure large westerners like me would fit in comfortably. They look good, sound good and go well, within the confines of what they are. What else was around at the time? Midget? Sprite? Spitfire? Leagues behind technically, each of them.If anybody else has anything constructive to say, that'd be pretty useful.
Probably the only thing that got close was the (even rarer) Toyota Sports 800, but that wasn't available as a convertible.
Are you trying to buy one, OP? Would make a great Readers' Cars Thread if you were
Edited by Turbobanana on Monday 1st March 15:17
I had one! NAF 5F coupe, black back in the late 70s so it was already an 'old' car, parts were tricky to get for it even back then (the exhaust was buggered and no one seemed to have one or any idea where to get one from) but I was very young and very, very stupid and absolutely thrashed it too far past an inch of its life. It did have one little tiny episode where it seized up on a particularly vigorous thrash and was mainly down to the simple fact I'd NEVER checked the oil which had diminished somewhat.
Ten minutes cool down and it re-started and was absolutely fine! I absolutely adored the little horror even though it was pretty rusty (bumpers painted matte black to hide the rust!) and to say it was owned by an utter idiot, it never let me down or put a foot wrong, handled well too! Brakes were... another matter.
One sad and sorry day I swapped cars with my Step-Dad as I needed something a bit posher to impress the boss and he pulled out in front of a lorry! He was fine but the car was a tad bent. It stayed in a garage in Goole or somewhere close. The only good thing was I got the old mans Toyota Crown in payment. I loved that car as well.
Ten minutes cool down and it re-started and was absolutely fine! I absolutely adored the little horror even though it was pretty rusty (bumpers painted matte black to hide the rust!) and to say it was owned by an utter idiot, it never let me down or put a foot wrong, handled well too! Brakes were... another matter.
One sad and sorry day I swapped cars with my Step-Dad as I needed something a bit posher to impress the boss and he pulled out in front of a lorry! He was fine but the car was a tad bent. It stayed in a garage in Goole or somewhere close. The only good thing was I got the old mans Toyota Crown in payment. I loved that car as well.
Aah, the Honda S800, I had one new in 1968 and loved it to bits. I was contracted to a full season of racing that year so I had plenty of miles to do in it and it attracted more lookers in the paddock than many of the race cars. Howler of an engine, lightswitch gearbox, steering fine but handling on the limit could be tricky due, I think, to it's short wheelbase. Very snug inside for a six footer but comfy nonetheless. As I remember it was 791cc with roller bearing crank and developed 71.5 BHP at 8,500 RPM which made it the most powerful production car under 1 litre in the world, or so they said. Very early on one of the Honda technicians demonstrated the unburstability of the engine by pulling the throttle cable and holding it for several minutes while the engine red-lined at 12,000RPM. After that I thrashed it and thrashed it, went through the Hyde Park Underpass with the windows open and loads of revs just to hear it howl. Then it started to misfire occasionally but it was the end of the season so we parted ways, probably just as well as I suspect I had cracked the head. VERY fond memories!!
My answer is that they are cool, but only to the handful of people who know what they are. Most people will never have heard of them. If they were more widely known I believe they would be widely appreciated - after all, they are a cool car!
I have never seen one on the road, only ever racing. I visited Oulton park a few times in my teens and saw them then. This was in the mid-late 1980s and I retain a fondness for them even though I am far more interested in big cars.
I have never seen one on the road, only ever racing. I visited Oulton park a few times in my teens and saw them then. This was in the mid-late 1980s and I retain a fondness for them even though I am far more interested in big cars.
LotusOmega375D said:
Our dad bought a silver coupe from the local Honda dealer showroom. It was displayed with a Perspex bonnet, so that you could see the engine. I think they refitted the steel bonnet prior to sale, but let him keep the clear one also.
I've loved the S800 since I first heard about them - nearly bought a burnt-out one to rebuild when I was 18.A perspex bonnet would be magic (until it got stained / scuffed / scratched).
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff