Derived from the smaller-engined S600 and available in both coupe and roadster guises, Honda’s innovative new S800 took a bow in 1966 and arrived in Britain later that year as the first ever Honda car import.
It was the start of something big for Honda in the UK, paving the way for later sporting gems.
The S800’s spec was seriously advanced for the time, with this diminutive sportster featuring a high-revving (up to 10,000rpm) 791cc four-cylinder twin-cam engine with no fewer than four carburettors.
It was enough to make Britain’s MG Midget and Triumph Spitfire look positively old-fashioned by comparison, although the S800 remained a rare sight here in the UK.
The final example was produced in May 1970, after a total of 11,536 S800s had been sold worldwide.
