Honda S600 & S800 - Shannons Club TV - Episode 154

[Music] welcome back to Shannon's club TV the show for all motoring fans to relive the histories of cars in Australia in each episode we profile our feature car with selected images new insights and an owners well-preserved example we'll also get the latest market trends from the Shannons auctions team so let's kick off with the cute but clever 1960 sports cars that showcase japan's emerging engineering genius the honda s600 and s800 like Porsche Maserati Ferrari and Lamborghini Honda entered the four wheel world with sports cars so Jiro Honda wanted to create his unique niche further as with motorcycles racing versions could be developed so Jiro Honda absolutely believed that racing improves the breed his vision was that the entire fledgling Japanese automotive industry should become internationally competitive with Honda at the cutting edge the S 360 & S 500 was shown at the 1962 Japanese Motor Show two years later Honda was in Formula One nomads the Formula One car was in no way to be confused with those first rad cast was it no indeed but you know what that first Honda Formula One car did was showcase Honda's Grand Prix winning motorcycle technology on four wheels which of course would later filter down to their road cars I mean you look back at 1965 the last year of the 1.5 litre engine rules in Formula 1 Honda had a 60-degree 1.5 liter v12 with four camshafts 48 valves fuel injection and that thing would Rev safely to 14,000 RPM how do they fit everything here in the world just stood back and said Wow Wow and of course that kind of technology filtered down into these early Honda sports cars so it was incredibly impressive with a phenomenal yeah but even at 7:25 kilos the S 360 was too heavy for an engine of that size no matter a brilliant and only the s500 went into production in 1963 cast iron engines single carburetors and a breathless 5000 RPM or the norm and here was this fabulous little with a shrieking Quad Cab sohc all alloy 44 horsepower engine and the v-max of 80 miles per hour the S 500 had a separate chassis and chain drive there was nothing like it in the world almost more four wheeled motorcycle than car three months on it was superseded by the twin kms 600 this 606 cc engine made 57 horsepower at an extraordinary 8,500 rpm a coupe a version was added in late 1963 but soujiro still wanted more and the 791 CC s 800 arrived in our month of decimal currency February 1966 with informants and with conservative export markets chiefly the US and Australia in mind the radical aluminium chain case independent rear end was replaced by conventional Drive with a rigid rear axle for links and a panhard rod exports to the US began that October both the s 600 and s 800 were sold in small numbers here motoring guru built a key in the guise of funny man Romsey quince tested the ultimate s 800 m with front disc brakes and radials and pronounced it no longer a toy with 70 brake horsepower a top speed of 100 miles an hour and that pretty little body the jewel like Honda was an utter joy and an early example of Japanese automotive part mark we can see these cars as precursors to the s2000 can't we ask certainly yeah and that car had a lot to live up to given the incredible performance of those earliest series cars from decades before Soichiro Honda used motor racing to inspire his engineers to push boundaries and innovate through factory-backed grand prix campaigns on both two and four wheels Honda's iconic s600 and s800 sports cars were clever amalgamations of those cutting-edge technologies and were also destined for competition years following its launch in 1964 the s600 quickly became a familiar sight in Japanese production sports car racing in which it proved competitive in the under 1,000 cc gt1 class against Toyota and Daihatsu rivals denne home also scored a famous s600 class victory in Germany's Nurburgring 500 two years later its s800 successor proved even more competitive in GT one particularly after Honda's racing service center at Suzuka performed numerous modifications which included enlarging the engine capacity and raising output to 100-plus brake horsepower at a shrieking 10,500 RPM this racing version called the RSC claimed some giant-killing results the most famous was the works prepared car which won the gt1 class in the prestigious Suzuka 12 hour in 1968 the tiny production based racer also finished a stunning third outright beaten only by two purpose-built can-am type sports cars boasting far superior performance John you know the term giant-killer seems most appropriate when describing these fabulous little cars doesn't it and they were so tiny I know and isn't that interesting the 360 cc engine finished up getting around later on in the scam and that was tiny too and the the Honda's heed just say just so tiny I mean the wheelbase was what 2 metres overall length about they weren't much bigger than a single bed when you when you looked at them but the ergonomics of what was so clever I said in 1 & 4 someone my height I couldn't believe it that I could actually fit in it quite comfortably yeah I mean there was so much Motorcycle Grand Prix technology just oozing out of there yes absolutely you're right it was just so impressive for its time phenomenal amazing stuff an important export market for Honda was Australia where the s600 and in particular the s800 proved a popular choice for production sports car racing one of the most prominent local drivers was no Lally whose s800 was another special car having been prepared for racing by the factory in Japan with exotic modifications that justified its inclusion in the improved production class riley's s 800 won its first race outright followed by a string of wins in 1967 it also set numerous class and in some cases outright sports car lap records during its reign as the undisputed king of the under 1100 cc division and it always kept larger engine British rivals like the austin-healey sprite MG and triumph spitfire on their toes on reflection the s600 and s 800 gave Australia its first taste of Honda's formidable expertise in car design and performance which of course would reach new heights of global success in the decades that followed remover to join the Shannons Club where you can connect with other enthusiasts around the country [Music] my name is Kathleen solo and this is my 1965 Honda rs600 its nickname was Harry Harry the Honda mum and dad got the car about 40 years ago it's actually been the only car in our Honda car club has been in the one family for such a long period of time but it was actually in reasonably good condition when they got it when we bought the car it was drivable at the time it just needed a really good cleanup chrome was pretty big in 1960s especially for bumper bars and hubcaps I actually went for a current Honda red which is much easier to replace and fix if we required no heating no aircon my favorite feature would be the steering wheel it's enormous because it has no power steering so therefore you need it to be able to turn the wheels you have to pack pretty light the boots very small you can't take everything with you double overhead cam 600 cc engine and is chain driven to the rear wheels drives and handles really well for its age it is very small so when you're in the car where other cars around you but it's fun and it will do everything anybody else's car will do it's just a bit louder [Music] there's no point having a soft-top car unless you actually prepare to use it as I've grown up I really appreciate this experience of being out in the open it's just you and the road and whoever you're with I am a Shannon's member and have been a Shannon's member for probably 20 years all our cars are insured with Shannon's and anytime that we've had any issues Shannon's have been really really helpful no future plans for the car it will stay in the family [Music] shanon's national options manager Chris Barban joins us with the latest on the Honda s600 NS 800 word although welcome at I absolutely love these cars they are just so quirky and so fantastic like what are your chances of finding one now that's in even close to original well-kept condition look I think you know the there is a quite a good demand for them today I think the collectors have really you know spent time over the last few years really bringing them back to original conditions so we are seeing a few and coming out on the market that's grace in miniature masterpiece it's like it's like a sky or 50% scale model of a Ferrari gorgeous and a real little jewel yeah they're very robust in their construction even though yeah body-on-frame construction but that engine I mean you had to rev it really hard to get the performance out of it that's what Honda recommended that you do no never seen with a motorcycle technology very much because in under six or seven thousand rpm you had nothing yeah that's right you had to you know from seven to ten thousand is where it actually came alive so as a result of that you know these engines would have really copped it I mean trying to find something ever it's been well kept I just can't imagine they'd be out there anymore after all that time there are luckily a few experts still out there that are good at tuning you know those this a 600 s I was another back in the Japanese interest in these cars was huge and I know in the 80s and 90s there were a lot of Japanese buyers coming to Australia and taking them back to Japan so the Japanese they loved this car yeah they did and you're right I mean in the 90s we did see you know a fair number of really good s 600 as an 8-under to leave the country but we know how rare especially the Koopas are I mean they built a lot less kupe so what they did in roadsters yes okay so if someone's looking for one I mean this is a bit of her to take difficulties what do you do where do you start look I think approach the car clubs you know there's quite a bit of fun for for the Honda 500 so definitely talk to a car clubs out there that's where a lot of the good ones reside but outside of that we still see a few coming up for sale so I've seen a few go through the blocks at - absolutely we have had a few over the years and and they've range from you know really good to pretty poor yeah but also that's encouraged you know buyers looking for something to restore to also get into a car turn it was a convertible more desirable than the hardtop that's an interesting question Donna and I think you would think because the coupe is built in lesser numbers that it would be more desirable potentially or more sought-after than the roadsters but there's a lot of people that gravitate to the roadsters so look I think in the ultimate world you'd have one of each but yeah look I think if you know if you can't find the right car the right basis it's it's worth and remember you'll get all the latest option results on the Shannons Club website if you'd like your own competition image of these Honda sports cars visit Auto picks Australia's most comprehensive motorsport photo archive you know in summary you know you look back at the s600 the S 800 but then you look at the success of the Honda Motor Company overall it really does come the inspiration really came from one land in this one man so Jiro Honda who died in 1991 mmm just a little while after the NSX came out and I've got a feeling that the NSS had his tattoo all over it the way it was conceived and the brilliance of it which in in some ways the s 600 s 800 foreshadowed but the NSX was the grander thing again and I think after soichiro honda died I think Honda did lose a great deal of its distinctiveness so Jiro was an engineer he made sure his engineers were just as passionate as focused as enthusiastic and that went right through the company rodham and he was able because he was the boss that engineering perfection also manifests itself in beautiful finish and high build quality whereas another company engineering driven likes a Citroen that didn't go all the way through to the production quality but in Honda it call it incredible yes really it's amazing story yes we hope you've enjoyed reflecting on the jewel like Honda s600 and s 800 and we'll catch you next time on Challenger [Music]

Channel: Shannons Insurance

Views: 3,119

Rating: 4.8208957 out of 5

Keywords: Shannons, Shannons Insurance, Car Insurance, Bike Insurance, Home Insurance, Shannons Club TV, Shannons Club, Shannons Club Video, Honda, Honda S600, Honda S800, Makr Oastler, John Wright

Id: 2GQN7cH69do

Length: 15min 27sec (927 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 02 2020