Honda's Quirky, Sporty S660 is Saying Goodbye

In 2015, in commemoration of Honda R&D’s 50th anniversary, they brought to production a lightweight mid-engined roadster called the S660.

Despite its classification as a kei car, the S660 was part of Honda’s “S” range, directly inspired by the Honda S500 of the 1960s, and indirectly by the S2000 in the 2000s. Developed by then 22-year-old Ryo Mukumoto, Honda’s youngest ever lead engineer, it sought to realize the “joy of driving.”

The S660, like other kei cars is powered by a turbocharged 658-cc 3-cylinder engine. Putting out 64 horsepower and 104 Nm of torque, it’s not exactly fast (0 to 100 km/h takes about 10 seconds). But what it lacks in straight line punch, its lightweight chassis (830-850 kilograms curb weight), and impeccable chassis tuning results in a high level of handling performance highly praised by owners and pundits alike.

Today, six years and more than 30,000 units sold after, Honda is bidding goodbye to this quirky little sportscar with a production stoppage set for March 2022.

Marking that milestone, Honda is releasing the S660 Modulo X Version Z. This special edition contains numerous aesthetics upgrades such as a unique exterior color—Sonic Gray Pearl along with black chrome emblems, black 16-inch wheels, and a black-painted spoiler. Inside, it has a two-tone black and Bordeaux Red interior as well as carbon fiber-like interior paneling.

So far, Honda hasn’t made any indications on whether they’ll come up with a successor for the S660. If ever, it’s likely that they’ll shift to creating a small sportscar similar to the Honda Sports EV Concept. It must be remembered that the Honda Urban EV Concept spawned the production Honda e.

Source: Car Guides PH