Honda’s new S660 sportster to go on sale in Japan

Honda Motor Co is to begin sales of the all-new S660, a 2-seater open-top sports car, on April 2, 2015, at dealerships across Japan. On the same day, Honda will also begin sales, in a limited quantity, of the S660 Concept Edition, a special model that commemorates the market launch of the S660. Only 660 units of this special edition will be sold in Japan.

The carmaker says its development team pursued the idea of a full-fledged sports car aimed at delivering the joy of driving.

The S660 adopts the mid-ship engine/rear-wheel drive (MR) layout and benefits from a low centre-of-gravity as well as the optimal 45-55 front-rear weight balance to enable excellent cornering performance, says Honda. The S660 also features an open-top body that achieves both high rigidity and lightweight at the same time.

The car uses a turbocharger for the 660cc DOHC engine, enabling dynamic driving and high-accelerator response even in the low engine rotation range. The engine is mated to a newly-developed 6-speed manual transmission, making the S660 the world’s first mini-vehicle equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission. In addition, the S660 is also available with a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) with 7-speed paddle shifter that features a sports mode.