The Honda S800 Is A Surprisingly Affordable Classic That Revs To 8000rpm

This adorable piece of Honda sports car history will be going under the hammer in May, with a lower estimate of £15,000

03 May 2019

What you’re looking at here is the S2000’s predecessor. It’s called the S800, and it went out of production way back in 1970 - it took Honda near enough 30 years to make a follow-up.

It was the third instalment in a trilogy of small sports cars from the Japanese brand, the first being the S500, its second-ever production car. It’s a beautiful, important piece of Honda’s history, so you might be surprised to learn that this one is set to go under the hammer for around the price of a late-model S2K.

S800s were produced in reasonable numbers, and there’s still a decent population let today. As such, the example up for grabs at Silverstone Auctions’ Heythrop sale this month has a pleasingly non-scary estimate of £15,000 - £20,000.

For that, you’ll be getting a pretty little S800 coupe (a roadster was also built), with a 791cc engine driving the rear wheels. It may only develop 70bhp, but it’ll still feel brisk(ish), as it weighs under 800kg. Plus, that small engine up front will be a joy to use, with an 8000rpm redline to enjoy.

Earlier S800s - like the S500 and S600 - were especially quirky, using a chain drive setup. After the first 1000 cars were out the door, this was swapped for a normal driveshaft, while the independent rear suspension was dropped due to the switch to a live axle.

The auction winner will take delivery of an exceptionally tidy S800 which was treated to a full body restoration from 2014-2017, which involved separating the shell from the ladder frame. The S800 Club Chairman - handily a former Rolls-Royce engineer - gave the engine an overhaul in 2017.

Tempted?

Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.

Comments

this is a VERY sexy boi

Really? Can’t say i’m a fan

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Why don’t they make cars like this these days :(
Not just the redline or light weight, which are hard to replicate with all the modern regulations

But the design, the simplicity, the body shape? Even the engine bay looks good

Look at this and then at the latest Civic Type R and you’ll see whats wrong with cars these days

because people like to have equipment in their cars these days, and because designers have to deal with aerodynamics

This is why I’m into older cars and not new cars. I hate how all these new engines have a sensor for everything. Ill take good old carbs over any fuel injection.

When people say, Honda only made boring econo boxes in the beginning of their company needs to see this car

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the power loss with shaft drive more than chain drive? So, since the engine already makes so little power, isn’t it better to get the chain? Sure, it’ll have to be lubed a lot, but still…

Not in the slightest. A chain drive has much worse efficiency than even the worst drive shaft. The reason why so many motorcycles use chain drives is that it needs to have a larger length adjustment range, as the suspension arm moves the length between axle and transmission output shaft changes. Chain drives are much less reliable and require a lot more maintenance too, which is probably the main reason why Honda switched to a drive shaft.