Road Tests of the Honda S600

Excerpts from "Brooklands 'Road Test' Limited Edition book.

Track Test

by: John Blunsden

Clutch action is reasonable, being light, with a comparatively short throw, but not always ensuring complete disengagement of the drive for power-on downshifts. Probably a matter of getting used to it.

The rack-and-pinion steering has the usual positive feel, quite a lot of reaction being felt from the wheels, especially on bumpy sections, but the whole mechanism being delightfully light. The brakes, too, (drums all round) were light to handle, provided all the stopping power required, and when hot lost none of their efficiency.

Although power can be felt from 6,000 rpm onwards, it helps not to drop below 7,000 if you have any alternative, and with the gearing provided I could stay in fourth all the way along the top straight, reaching Paddock with something approaching 10,000 on the clock.

Just where a Honda 600 will fit into the British racing scene is difficult to predict but let's hope a slot can be found for it, because it's a fascinating little car, great fun to drive, and a technical achievement which deserves the publicity which only racing can provide.

Road & Track Road Test

Written by the late Dean Batchelor (according to Hugh Nutting email)

The engine is small, the performance lively and the personality endearing.

A young man named Hugh Nutting called us one day and volunteered the use of his Honda S-600 for a road test. Hugh had recently returned from a 2-year tour of duty with the US Armed Forces in Japan and had brought the S-600 back with him.

"Cute" (in the appreciative sense) is as good a word as any to describe the size and styling of the S-600. The owner paid the equivalent of $1600 for his S-600 in Japan, including about $200 in taxes.

The engine illustrates the point. Everything about it bespeaks sound engineering, high-quality production and excellent workmanship.

Driving the S-600 is highly enjoyable - provided you like sports cars with buzzy little engines. This qualification cannot be ignored because that small engine is really singing away as it whirls out the many-thousand revs necessary to wind the car down the road.

With the lightness of the engine, good breathing and low friction losses, the engine revs very freely. The clutch action is excellent, incorporating just the right amount of feel to get away smoothly even without practice, which is a bit unusual for a car with such a small engine.

There's no burning of rubber but the S-600 scampers along to good effect and is great fun to drive. The steering and handling of the Honda aare excellent by any standards and, frankly, are more reminiscentof the much more expensive Lotus Elan than the cars in its own price class.

It hangs onto the road in a completely reassuring way and the independent rear suspension, designed to handle the ppoor surface of the average Japanese road, doesn't readily lose its poise even on chattery turns.

** Editors note: I was very pleased to correspond with Hugh Nutting today (April 14, 2003). He wanted to add the following information:

One more thought about statement in the 'test' copy. I drove the test run. Then Dean took it for a spin. His first comment was, "its most like a Lotus Elan". I said," Yes, Mr. S. Honda owns one".

Hop On A Honda

by: Bill Tuckey

The Honda will cruise comfortably at 75-80 mph (7500-8000 rpm) and it is very pleasant to be able to go for third at just below this speed for final overtaking urge.

The steering is quite light and accurate, with very little feedback except on bad dirt roads, and the little car can be placed accurately at high speed. Handling is a consistent understeer on all surfaces, and is outstandingly good in the wet, if only above average in the dry.

Performance:

(All figures checked to 0.5 percent by Smiths electric fifth wheel and tachometer.)

Top Speed Average: 88.2 mph
Fastest Run: 88.2 mph
Standing 1/4 mile: 20.7 seconds
0 - 30 mph: 5.0 seconds
0 - 40 mph: 7.9 seconds
0 - 60 mph: 16.2 seconds
Fuel consumption (overall): 39.6 mpg
It is simple to heel and toe in the Honda although a big foot will catch the throttle pedal in a hard panic braking. The short gear lever is in the right spot, and the small wood-rimmed alloy-spoked steering wheel is nicely raked, if a little too offset to the left. Nevertheless, most drivers will be able to get a long-arm stance and will find the driving position to their liking.

Seating is exemplary for a car costing less than 1,000 pounds. The test car was upholstered in black and the seats gripped well around the thighs and back. Leg angle is excellent, and all in all cockpit room is greater than it first appears.

The most striking thing about the Honda is the magnificent standard of finish.