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The development of the first Honda car was rich with controversy. The Japanese government in the late 50's dictated
what type of cars should be made and by which companies. Always the rebel, Soichiro Honda decided to go against convention
and develop his first car as a two-seat sports model that he believed would create new demand rather than compete against
established manufacturers. The photo shown above is the XA190 prototype that would later evolve into the S360 show car.
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The "Sports 360"
or S360 that was unveiled to Honda dealers at the Suzuka Circuit in June of 1962 was painted scarlet red.
Again controversial, in
Japan until that point the color red was reserved by law for emergency vehicles like fire engines and ambulances. Honda felt
strongly that his sports car should be red and fought convention to make it happen. The car's debut signaled Honda's
entry into the automotive marketplace. They have never looked back!
Check out Mr. Honda driving the S360!
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The S360 and "more powerful" S500 were unveiled to an enthusiatic
public in October 1962 at the 9th Tokyo Motor Show. The S360 was never produced but the S500 went on sale one year later
in Japan with aspirations for global distribution.
Catch the S360 at the Tokyo Motor Show!
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March of 1964
signaled start of production for the S600 model. Mr. Honda poses with a shipment of S600s ready for distribution.
Export of the S600 began in 1965 to Europe, Australia and even Canada. No S600 were sold in the United States.
The few that now reside here trickled down from Canada or were brought in from other countries in many cases by US servicemen.
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Click to view a great Japan market S600 commercial!
Check out the Hondas that were displayed at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles!
Read "Soichiro's Jewel" Online! A fantastic article by Frank Markus from August 2007 Motor Trend
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The S600
Roadster was produced from 1964 through 1966. In 1966 the torch was passed to the S800 model. In 1999 Honda Motor
Co. celebrated their 50th anniversary. To commemorate the event a new Honda Sports model was created. The S2000.
The white S2000 with red interior was a nod back to the same color combination the S600 was offered in. Of course
the other popular color for the car was Scarlet Red.
Unfortunately my S600 came with no history. It is a safe bet it came from Canada with LHD, MPH on
the speedometer, Fahrenheit on the temperature gauge and back-up lamps. Oh, there was some rust too.
Take a look at a little video I posted on YouTube
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