Honda S500
The Honda S500 (type AS280 code, product code 504) was Honda's first car. The S stood for Sports car ( sports car ) and the number for the Displacement in cc.
This little sports car was presented on 25 October 1962 as a pre-production model sports car Sports500 at the 9th Tokyo Motor Show, next to the sports car prototype Sports360 and the T360, Honda's first pickup truck, the public. It was built from August 1963 only as a convertible in Hamamatsu Factory to September 1964.
Idea
On June 16, 1963 Honda placed an advertisement as a quiz with the Japanese people should guess the purchase price of the S500. It 5735417 submissions were counted and the most quoted price was 485,000 yen, which was set by Honda with 459,000 yen in July. The press was able to take test drives on the 1963 Honda Arakawa own test track in August.
Soichiro Honda was personally present on August 29, 1963, when the S500 was introduced on a Rhine steamer at Koblenz for the first time the European public. This red car was a left-hand drive with a black interior and was later for promotional purposes a German license plate. Also a red car was shown with beige interiors in the United States and contributed for advertising purposes an American flag. The little sports car but was sold from October 1963 to 1964 only in Japan as a right hand drive.
Technology
When driving a water-cooled 531- cc engine was used with 44 hp ( 32 kW) at 8,000 rpm. The Sports500 prototype had 492 cc and 40 hp (29 kW) at 8,000 rpm. Mean piston speed at rated speed was therefore 15.46 m / s This resulted in a high level for a production car this time a capacity of 88.5 hp / l Double overhead camshaft operated the valves via bucket tappets. The crankshaft and the lower connecting rod had needle bearings. For each cylinder has its own vacuum-controlled Keihin carburetor was provided a combined throttle / slide carburetor (type CVB 31-26-1 with 26 mm venturi type or RP 35 - 29P -40 with 29 mm venturi ).
The force was transmitted to the rear wheels through a propeller shaft to a differential to the drive shafts, and from there via a respective left and right chains. The chain boxes with oil bath were supported as a swing through coil springs with telescopic shock absorbers inside the frame. The car therefore had an independent suspension. This design principle retained for the whole Honda Sports series at. Only the later S800 got from May 1966 conventional rigid axle on trailing arms and Panhard rod. The front wheels were out on wishbones and damped by shock absorbers and sprung by torsion bars located along that were fixed in the frame. The sheet-steel body, bolted to a separate frame was galvanized in part. The delay took over the front and rear drum brakes. Possible to see the S500 by a domed glass cover that goes over the headlights and parking lamps glass, as well as the three-spoke front grill.
The S500 in motorsport
Also racing was the S500, with one of the few left-hand drive, used. At the long-distance journey Spa -Sofia - Liege (Marathon de la Route ) 1963 on approximately 5500 km drove the Japanese Nobuo Koga and Giichi Suzuki with a white S500 Convertible / Hardtop (No. 58), but resigned because of an accident near from Ljubljana / Yugoslavia fatal for Giichi Suzuki. He had participated in 1959 for Honda for the first time at the popular race at the Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man in the 125cc class of motorcycles and drove in the race to seventh place. Another Belgian team, with drivers Henri cross Cute and Jean -Pierre Guyette, also with a white S500 Convertible / Hardtop (No. 78) with the registration number W3070, went to 6 days to the finish.
Successor
1965 was followed by the S600 Convertible, and 1966 S600 coupe, which were not sold in Germany.
1966 were 800 cc engines in the two versions thus was the Honda S800. At the Paris Motor Show 1966, Honda S800, the first time the European public. In Japan, he had already been presented and sold in January 1966. As of October it was exported and after the construction of the dealer network, he was also in Germany as from 21 March 1967. It is driven by a 800 cc engine with 67 hp. The car was offered in two versions, a convertible and coupe.
1999, with the launch of the S2000 Roadster Honda had revived the old sports car tradition. From the name establishes a close relationship can not be denied, even though they have seen by Technical ago not much in common.
Model Overview
( 730 kg Coupe)
( 755 kg Coupe)
( 13.9 s coupe )
(30 liter Coupe)
(Super Plus 98 ROZ )
(Japan only)
(Japan)
(1967)
( Number of items)