Honda S600 coupe - Why this was the '60s godfather of Vtec and Type R // The Late Brake Show

In this Late Brake Show Jonny drives his rare Honda S600 coupe for the first time. This is almost the '60s godfather of Vtec and Type R, as with a tiny 606cc engine Honda proved to the world that size didn't matter - what did matter was intricate obsessive engineering and the ability to rev to 10,000rpm and almost get to 100mph with such a small engine displacement. Ok, so strictly speaking the S600 wasn't the first production car - that was the S500 - but it was the first mass produced four wheeled Honda. After three long years Jonny drives his 1965 Honda S600 coupe project car for the first time. This can be credited with cementing Honda as a serious car manufacturer of sports cars. Without this the S2000 - and possibly the Type Rs or NSXs - would have never been born.
The S600 started life in 1964 and was the last vehicle Mr Soichiro Honda signed off personally. Soichiro was obsessed with motorbike racing, and set Honda on its mission to dominate the likes of Isle of Man TT road racing, as well as world circuits. This motorcycle racing engineering would be translated into the build of the early Honda sports car series; double overhead cams, four carbs - one for each cylinder, aluminium finned brakes, aluminium engine with needle roller crank bearings and crazy complex independent chain drive rear axle. The S800 replaced the S600 in 1966/67 and the crazy chain rear axle set up was switched to a more conventional live axle.
Jonny's South African RHD coupe is thought to be one of only two S600 coupes in the UK. It has been repainted by Walter Chrobok ( see @Retro_Classica on Insta) and mechanically rebuilt by Project Heaven (project-heaven.com). In this episode you can watch and hear it max out on the rolling road dyno, then get driven on British roads for the very first time. Have you heard a 1960s 0.6-litre car comfortably rev to 9000rpm at 90mph before?
1964 S600 factory engine spec:
606cc inline four cylinder, four carburettor, watercooled, 45-degree, DOHC, needle roller bearing crank
Aluminium finned drum hydraulic brakes
Rack and pinion steering
Suspension: front torsion bar and wishbone, aluminium independent chain drive rear axle
Power: 57PS @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 37.6lbft @ 5,500rpm
Speed: 90mph (145km/h)
Dimensions
Length: 3300mm
Wheelbase: 2000mm
Width: 1400mm
Kerb weight (wet): 720kg
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Filmed and edited by: Matty Graham @ Pixel Click pixel-click.com
Thumbnail by: Matt Tarrant Design matttarrantdesign.com
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Jonny Smith
Creative content maker, car presenter & car pervert for hire since '98
Website: www.carpervert.com
Instagram: / jonnycarpervert
Twitter: / carpervert
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:50 Project Heaven sexy scrap yard
1:47 Meet Pete
4:10 Rolling road dyno session
4:42 Full throttle
5:00 9,000rpm at 90mph!
6:08 Post-dyno analysis
8:27 Stainless exhaust layout
9:24 Crazy enclosed chain independent rear axle
10:53 Outside in the sun
11:09 Cabin and dash layout
12:15 Revving
12:53 FIRST TIME ON THE ROAD
17:50 Tech spec
22:40 Small, economical screamer classics - the future?
23:52 9,000rpm full throttle through gears
25:00 Side profile closer look
26:09 Repaint
26:43 Verdict and outro

[@minimonte]

Fascinating as usual. Give me real car enthusiasm over influencer fake excitement every day

[@georgeionescu6425]

those influencers are a joke only stupid people watch them

[@minimonte]

Even so, I can’t wait to see what colour wrap Jonny chooses 😂

[@victoralley708]

Like Shmee?

[@306maxievo2]

Hi guys it’s Shmeeeeeeeeee!

[@missionDan]

At least schmee’s content moves at a fair pace, this content is lack lustre and boring, with the occasional dash of something interesting. I like the content but cant stand the drawn out style zzzzzz

[@MrProjectprelude]

I own a 1999 Honda s2000, and everything you describe about driving your s600 echoes the feeling when I drive my s2000. Just goes to show how much DNA Honda manage to feed into the s2000 from those early s600 and s800 cars. You are a very lucky guy to own an s600. What a Beautiful machine :) This was Honda on the top of their game.

[@Dudleymiddleton]

When cars used to smile at you instead of the angry looking snarling beasts of today! Great little motor!

[@dreyn7780]

Wrong. Snarl-up beastly? Go shove it. People said that crap in the 60's. Quiet cars are already out there. We've had green on cars for a long time.

[@Ashitaka0815]

@@dreyn7780 he was talking about that overly masculine - aggressive kooks of today's cars, not their sounds. And I have to agree with him.

[@brianeighties4481]

I love the smiling Ferrari style grill on my 92 Integra

[@lafete6863]

😂😂😂 ikr cars used to look like happy frogs and shit hahahaha

[@Ashitaka0815]

@@lafete6863 I prefer a happy frog over an angry stormtrooper any day ^^

[@HubNut]

Great stuff Jonny. Remarkable engineering and, remarkably, you just about managed to fit inside it!

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Cheers Ian

[@antoinep9733]

CarPervert Get some brackets made up to move those buckets back an inch or two!

[@johnd8892]

Pity you did not score a test of one in Australia. More sold in Australia than anywhere other than Japan, I would say. Recent coverage of a survivour from Australia : kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHi0f2qZfZtsmtE One of the few not snapped up by collectors from Japan offering ridiculously high prices.

[@dreyn7780]

@@antoinep9733 wrong.

[@dreyn7780]

The remarks were made back in the 60's. No further remarks are to be made. The designer didn't make it for you or your friends.

[@RobsonRoverRepair]

Johnny's channel is great, it's so chilled and factual, along with being varied. Tbh it's my favourite on KZbin now.

[@apocalypticdog6332]

Have you watched the hubnut channel that’s also very good

[@ZesPak]

Not my favorite channel, but definitely my favorite car channel.

[@pinut187]

I come to this channel only for the cars being presented, the amount of commercials and Johnny keep on repeating the same info again and again is annoying as hell. Also Johnny is the god of exaggerating everything which is rather annoying.

[@stepheng8779]

Sad that the previous owner didn't get to fulfil his dream but what a great job, you've done him and the car proud. Enjoy it 👍🍻

[@benhadden7038]

I knew there was a reason for being awake at 4am Friday morning in Australia. This notification

[@thebrokenbolt3990]

¡uǝɥʇ ƃuᴉuɹoɯ pooפ

[@Laz_Arus]

@@thebrokenbolt3990 haha ... mate, how do you get the text upside down? I'd like to use that feature when I send messages to folks in the northern hemisphere 😁

[@thebrokenbolt3990]

@@Laz_Arus I used this website: www.upsidedowntext.com may I ask what you mean by sending them to the northern hemisphere? It's the southern hemisphere that's the wrong way round 🤣 don't blame you with all that blood in your head

[@slartybartfarst9737]

I renovate / run 1969 750 K0 Honda bikes, 4 into 4 exhausts, 4 carbs, spin up to 10,000 but 8,500 is max power. All of 64hp but 125mph and sounds like a Ferrari. Honda were on their game when Soichiro wielded the big stick, I want that car.

[@magnus.nasmark]

Amazing car! The way a car should be: Look good and put a smile on your face despite you're not breaking any records on The Ring. Love it!

[@en8wall69]

That is a lovely car. Small, rare and a little quirky. Love it!

[@mattclarke3761]

What a treasure of a machine. Honda has produced so many endearing designs both aesthetically and functionally over the last few decides. Much humble, very love.

[@woopimagpie]

57hp is one tenth of most "fast" cars today, but I bet this little Honda is 10 times as much fun. What a fantastic little machine. Love it.

[@scottelkington7661]

The over shoulder the camera has all the passion, look, intensity and raw sound of Senna at Monaca.... without the speed!! Awesome...

[@waynekerrgoodstyle]

I liked how you automatically reached for a seatbelt lol

[@phila3884]

Seatbelts were available in some markets, and optional in others. Mine (Canada) has them.

[@waynekerrgoodstyle]

@@phila3884 I'm not disputing that, I'm just saying how everyone is so used to wearing seatbelts, It's an automatic response. When I was a kid seatbelts were new. lol

[@phila3884]

@@waynekerrgoodstyle I was just adding info about seatbelts for those who were interested.

[@tezzrterry7485]

Honda S600, S800 RHD models were popular in Australia too. They were Honda's hero cars.

[@Zyzzyx42]

I've been waiting for this video. So fun. My dad has a 1964 Honda S600 convertible that he got in 1966, just out of high school. Living in southern California, got it from a Navy guy who had it brought over from Japan, so it is RHD. Most of my childhood growing up it was non-operational, but I spent hours and hours sitting in the drivers seat, rowing that shifter. About 10 years ago he finally got things together and had it redone. We've been enjoying it since. This last summer its been at my house and I've been driving it when I just need to go out for a short drive (now living in eastern WA state). We don't have that nice exhaust, but the 4 to 2 pipes and then through some glasspacks; it is loud. Biggest annoyance is we need to get the tach and speedo rebuilt, neither read anywhere close to correct. And you're right, it is a tricky little thing to get parts for. Yet technically, so very cool. Does yours have left and right hand threaded lug nuts? Oh, and our has left handed flywheel bolts. Dad learned about those on a rebuild in college when he broke them off. I have a blast being able to ramble about the engineering details and oddities, having grown up with the car.

[@johnd8892]

Love seeing these early Hondas. Surprisingly much more common in Australia. I remember seeing a coupe S600 on display from the local Honda dealer at the 1964 Melbourne Motor Show in the Exhibition Buildings when very young. A staple on hill climb coverage on TV in the sixties in S600 and S800 form. Also not quite the first Honda 4 wheeled vehicle. A few months before the S360, Honda showed for sale their first four wheeler. The T360 mid engined pick up truck. As far as I know the same DOHC four cylinder. Likely roller bearing crank and dry sump. Later the larger T500F versions were sold in Australia like so many Japanese makes trying to establish a place in Western export markets and partly using Australia as a test market. At least one T500F survives in Queensland. Was a trade in on a Honda lawn mower! : www.mtaq.com.au/1964-t500f-honda-pickup/ With a 531cc DOHC, 4-cylinder engine. Not sure if the trucks got 4 carbs. Think I saw them for sale as a young boy in an Elizabeth St Melbourne showroom. Honda also established, in 1965 and 1966, an early fruitful relationship with Jack Brabham with the S800 based F2 1000cc car : primotipo.com/tag/1966-formula-2-championship/ Jack Brabham winning at the 1966 French GP F2 support race then later taking the F1 race win. So Jack became the first man to win a GP in a car with his own name and manufacture. Unheard of today to win a support race and the F1 main event as is the car of his own make. The Brabham Hondas dominated the 1966 F2 season with other production based engines being a long way behind the Honda 1000cc version combined with the other Brabham car organisation winning attributes. F2 went 1600cc for 1967 so Honda just had one year of dominance in F2. Jack very much liked the price Honda supplied the engines to him (zero?). Honda liked his input into what was needed for racing in F2 and so F1. Recent Australian coverage on a survivor S600 : kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHi0f2qZfZtsmtE

[@mosca3289]

Great detailed info. Thanks

[@wightangel]

I love your channel. You are so calm in your conversing to the camera, with a head for of decent knowledge that someone such as myself loves to hear. As a boy through the 70's, I was gifted enough to tell my parents what every car was that passed us, and from then my parents knew that my love for cars was very real.

[@PaulinesPastimes]

Fantastic achievement. Shame you couldn't give it a blast down a motorway instead of pootling around villages. I haven't been for a drive in one since I was in the Honda Car Club of NSW (New South Wales) in 1970. They don't make Hondas like this any more. Cheers

[@drdoolittle5724]

Back in 1976 my neighbour Tony had a right hand drive silver or grey one which was truly gorgeous and much admired. He was the type of Guy one would love to think still has it so if you read this Tony, loads of regards to you from Hugh!

[@PeterBowater]

It's a dwarf E-type! Body shape, the grille, the lights, the rear hatch..... everything except the pea-shooter exhaust. Lovely little thing.

[@PeterBowater]

P.s. I said this before I heard you say about the dash!

[@dmw13]

You're not implying that the Japenese would have copied another manufacturer's design are you?

[@123jcz]

Back in the 70s, my mate Dave who was alot older than me and lived next door had this little car l was fascinated,him tinkering with it ,his dad a dealer who loved a bargin so that little car often would be reving up ,it was just such a joy as a boy sitting in the driver's seat,pressing pedals as requested then after a little time l was able to drive this car my first ,on the lane( private road) just a little bit of heaven in the making. I do believe Jenson button drove over the Alps In one , a bundle of fun and exciting too . Congratulations guys bring on the fun enjoy that little piece of history now in the Making ☺️ 😂 once again. Thanks Jonny for your love of something that's a little different and making very enjoyable episodes on your channel great team work 💪👍

[@wizzard5442]

Australia here: an S800 replaced the S600 and if I remember correctly, in a road-test (1968?), they got it over 100mph - in standard condition, not modified.

[@dylanh1978]

Wow Jonny, what a video, you really are knocking it out of the park. What a beautiful car this is, sounds amazing, looks so fun to drive. Congratulations on getting it on the road.

[@skooter6235]

I was cringing when they ran it flat out in the garage, 9000 rpm! but hey it’s a Honda. Love Honda and I would love to have this car.

[@TCL_Dasler]

Thanks for sharing that experience. Never seen one before. The axles look like a primitive horizontal version of the hummer axles. I like how it revs so high.

[@ProjectHeaven]

Enjoyed working on this car a lot!

[@vtecbobby]

I really love these old Hondas. I'm so glad you've got one because now I'll be able to watch you have some fun in it!

[@fortitudevalance8424]

Such a sweet car. You lucky guy.

[@DOUGALUS]

Back in the day I was an apprentice mechanic and got to drive these little cuties often. Great to see on again and how good it sounds - sigh.

[@Derek_S]

A neighbour of mine had one of those in the 1960's. They were quite rare at the time so I didn't know anything about its performance figures. It was so small, I assumed it wasn't very fast but 90mph from 600cc is amazing. Imagine what Honda could have done with a 1500cc, which was a common size back then.

[@Jonnymiller1977]

Small power massive inthusiasum... reminds me of my red Honda beat which i used as my daily driver for about 8 years, loved that car. 9.5k redline 660cc bundle of fun. Enjoy the s600 she's beautiful, health to drive jonny

[@martiniv8924]

People laughed at those little Honda’s when they arrived, any one that bought one and kept it, is having the last laugh ! 👍🏻

[@dbcooper8607]

This is why you dont listen to jeremy clarkson, speaking smugly about the old astons interiors while a lot who bought them are stranded on the side of the road cursing the day they took one home.

[@martiniv8924]

@@dbcooper8607 I’m guessing you bought an Aston not a Honda DB ?

[@mikeholland1031]

@@dbcooper8607 DB cooper's name was Dan. A newspaper typo made it DB. Who knows what his real name was?

[@martyncopeland6896]

Had a S800 always put a smile on my face wish i had kept it and that gearlever flick of the wrist great fun

[@RideCamVids]

Those engines are masterpieces of engineering. The built up roller bearing crankshaft allows them to rev to stratospheric levels, along with the four carbs, twin cams and 16 valves.

[@paulleggett9735]

i love the fact that the wrods on teh dash are engraved. "ignition" etc.. lovely touch

[@kevinoakes1171]

OMG !, I love this thing !. It’s not until the end of the video that we can see how seriously small this car is. You absolutely dwarf this car whilst standing next to it. I guess this is an early Kei car ??

[@renaldisaputra91]

back on the time, the S600 wasn't really a kei car, it's the S360 and S500. The regulation was still on 550cc max with S600 being higher than it. But surely the car size doesn't that fit for european

[@martinfisker7438]

That engine clearly had motorbike heritage, and the rear axle is basically two swingarms with enclosed chain drive. Just imagine what honda could do with modern technology and 60s regulations.

[@X-11]

imagine what all car companies could do.... new cars for a grand or actual sports cars that dont weight 2 tons

[@nomoreheroes93]

@@X-11 I disagree, Alpine and Mazda still manage light sports cars with little sacrifice, it's clearly a choice by the OEMs

[@davidholden2658]

I thought the same. It's like a single sided swing arm on each end of the axle. One carb per cylinder is not unusual on bikes either.

[@pashakdescilly7517]

Around 1960, UK car designer Len Terry had an idea for a Formula 7 race car for his wife. You had to use Austin 7 axles, so he had the idea of dividing the front axle for Lotus-style swing axles, and mounting the rear axle direct to the tube frame chassis. There were to be a pair of trailing arms with chain drive inside, just like this Honda. He never built it, but a design sketch was published in his book on race car chassis design.

[@yorkmaster]

60’s regulations and mindset!

[@benedwards4435]

The first time you revved out in 3rd I thought you were going to overtake the bus. Turns out you were just trying to keep up... What an absolutely mega little thing!

[@whitemoor66]

What an awesome bit of kit, superb engineering. Such a pretty little thing too. Absolutely love it! The guy who did your engine work is a top bloke too it seems 👍.

[@mroctarine]

Nothing like a small revvy car to put a smile on your face, maybe review it next to a tr-xx r4 ?

[@poppylane1]

I had the N600 twin cylinder the spare tyre fitted along with the jack under the bonnet great car I would love one now Great video

[@waterlover]

I have two of them.

[@poppylane1]

@@waterlover wasn't keen on the rust with it, great little car walked all over my brothers mini 1100 up 60mph

[@martinloney6322]

We owned two N600s but their spare tyres were under the boot.

[@tomgruitt6563]

This is the most beautiful car I’ve ever seen. Thank you Jonny.

[@aukanmeister]

Been waiting for this! Love this car! So fun to finally get to hear it😀

[@TimInertiatic]

That was joyous. So much more interesting than seeing someone testing another identikit supercar

[@hankthetank185]

Love the old honda H logo, wish they could bring it back. Very cool and original car Jonny. Love high reving Honda's. Some of the best gear gates around, NSX, S2000.

[@monkmodemalik8225]

Didn’t realise they’d gotten rid of it?

[@somecallmetim42]

What a wonderful little gem of a car, Johnny you are a very lucky man. As an owner of an RX8 I can happily attest that revving to 9000rpm never fails to put a massive smile on your face.

[@coldpeople]

Your videos are better than most of the car shows on tv, keep it up x

[@barrykaine6526]

It looks like a Japanese version of "if a Triumph TR3 and an MGB GT had a baby". Pegs the cuteometer! Back in the late 70's, I bought a 1971 Honda 600 sedan, (used), which had an air cooled 2 cylinder 600cc engine, and front wheel drive. It had it's 4-speed gearshift mounted on the front of the dashboard, and it got 50+ miles per gallon all day long. I eventually traded it for something, maybe it was my Hillman Manx, I don't recall. They also had a coupe model of the 600 that was more popular, it was very stylish, vs. the sedan looked like a brick.

[@theoriginalwallace]

It's just SO cute, Jonny!!

[@teamyetiusa9862]

The other really neat thing with the exhaust is that the factory mufflers had a wall down the middle so the two sides were separated from each other. It's essentially a pair of muffler chambers in the one housing. Very cool to see one of these fully restored and back on the road! I've got a 1965 roadster and a 1966 coupe that we're slowly working on getting back together. Magnificent piece of engineering and a truly overlooked classic! Thanks for the phenomenal video!!

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Thanks guys. Great to hear you have two of them - both S600s? How hard are parts to find in the States?

[@kenball1980]

Fascinating car that I never seen in person, I'm a big fan of early Hondas so this was a treat!

[@mindspinn311]

These were technically kei cars I think so they’re tiny and meant for city driving. They did make an S800 later I am curious how different that would be. The tiny tight shifter is what inspired the S2000’s amazing shifter. And the one carb per cylinder is direct from Honda’s motorcycle manufacturing. It’s just how they thought a sporty engine should be, especially one that’s as small as and revs as high as a motorcycle. And this was before they had made the CB750.

[@b_mb4948]

Sweet little thing. Looks like a combo between an MGB GT and an E-Type FHC, but with the size / performance of a Midget. I would have to admit though that this car has more intelligent underpinnings.

[@pashakdescilly7517]

The Midget is probably a lot larger than the S600

[@pashakdescilly7517]

180mm longer. From the rear, the S600 looks reminiscent of a Lenham GT bodied Midget!

[@john2478]

I has a S800 back in the 1970s and loved it. I remember the garage mechanic warning me not to let the starter clutch on the front of the engine crank to get loose or it would trash the splines and the crank shaft. Never a problem with mine though. I remember the steering was a bit vague on mine that was traced back to the twin UJs on the steering column having play in them. Getting spares was always difficult even in those days and the main dealer had to resort to finding second hand parts. I don't recall the carbs being much of a problem and it was always a lovely free revving engine. The engine like many bike engines had a roller bearing crank and big ends. I did have a reverse gear fail on mine. I took the engine out myself and the gearbox was a delight to work on being a simple job to split it and remove the shafts, very unlike UK cars of the era that needed gears being drifted off. I found the problem with the reverse gear quite quickly and was very fortunate that the gear had simply come off the shaft and was laying out of the way in the case. It was a simple job to put it back on and secure it. A no cost gearbox repair. The Honda engineering was just amazing. Luckily I am 5-11 which is about the limit for the car. I also had a Honda N600 before the S800 which was trouble free and moved on to a Mazda RX3 after the S800. The Mazda was immaculate and never had any issues with it.

[@terrymaynard1816]

I've always had a soft spot for these cars. When I was 17 years of age, I had an also rare now Honda Coupe 7. My older brothers girlfriends dad had a Honda S600 under a tarp in his carport, and her brother had a good friend who had a Coupe 9 and an S600. We would catch up occasionaly, and on one occassion it was to get him to assess a Honda S600 I was test driving to buy it from the local newspaper listings. That was in 1976. I didn't buy the car but I had an absolute ball driving it around for a few hours. A Holden Monaro (Australia) pulled up at a set of traffic lights beside me with the occupants laughing at the little Honda I was driving. My response was to challenge them to see who would be at the next set of traffic lights first which put them into raptures. Sure enough, I was waiting at the next set of traffic lights for them to arrive, and when they did they laughter had changed to jaw dropping shock. Good fun. 2 Years later I went on to buy a rare now Datsun 2000S Fairlady which I had for 10 years. When I was getting some bodywork done on it and a respray, a follow Fairlady owner who was a panel beater/spray painter did the job for me. In his workshop was a Honda S600 Coupe he was restoring. I fell in love with that. Very cool cars. I see one on the road every now and then, not often, and always appreciate how cool they are. I have always thought of the Coupe as a miniture E Type Jag that somebody came along with a big machetti and chopped off each end. The most outstanding memory I have of that car and often tell the story is how tiny the gear lever was, it was like a toy. Then again, the whole car is tiny.

[@diraziz396]

01:30 - Those Subaru's are not Not dead - They just waiting to be Reassembled and carry on driving

[@EVguru]

Me thinks an outing to the Goodwood revival should be on the cards!

[@888johnmac]

ooh yes , if Jonny took it up the hill-climb , slowest speed , biggest smile

[@mrfunatparties6763]

Out of all the videos of the s8, 6, and 500's yours show the most out of this car. enjoyed it very much

[@MrLeccyt]

Brilliant little car! Love how delighted you are with it! Great stuff.

[@tomsummers1137]

Brilliant show, mate. Everything about it appeals to me. The cars, of course, but also the garages and tradesmen you are featuring, and the lovely mix of country and not-so-country roads. I was meant to be in England and Europe this year.......but....well....you know.

[@DaraM73]

It actually sounds like all the vintage cars from Grand Turismo 1

[@cjp6527]

Love it, we need more of these cars in our lives. Well done sir...🎩

[@goldfever4570]

So happy for you finally getting to drive this, looks & sounds mega!

[@thebrokenbolt3990]

Only a four speed gearbox?! I guess it will be Fourth Gear from now on for you then!

[@tommycollier9172]

I can remember seeing these cars in the late 60 never knew they were Honda's always thought they were British.

[@liamhughes3104]

Absolutely amazing! Cant wait to see more of it. Ive also been watching reviews of its new incarnation the Honda S660, maybe you could review that as there are a couple of those in the uk..

[@SpencerF6]

As soon as I saw this car, it brought back memories of seeing a red one for sale in the early 1990s....in Johannesburg! You never saw these over there. I used to get the train to college and looking out the window, saw one for sale on the journey into Johannesburg. There used to be a few car dealers near the train tracks as the rents were cheaper due to the train noise. It was near to where my dad worked, so my brother and I told my dad about some little red sports car for sale and convinced him to take us there and have a look. We used to often do this, as we were all big car fans. It was a great looking car, but my dad was looking for a family car, daily driver. So even though my brother and I would love my dad to have bought it(it was priced at about R30,000 at the time which was under his budget for a car), he knew that it wasn't practical for what he needed. I'm not saying this is THAT car, but there is a big chance that it is. The T registration denotes that it was from the Transvaal, as it was then known and as mentioned, there weren't many of them over there at all. That was the only one that I ever saw there! (Regards S African cars being rust free.. Yes, inland, it doesn't rain nearly as much as the coast and there was no such thing as gritting the roads. By the coast, Durban, as a good example, it is sooo humid. You only had to get an MOT when you changed ownership. It was not uncommon to see cars with fist sized rust holes!! 😅) Love this!!

[@maesygwartha]

It sounds like an angry bee....brilliant little Honda :-)

[@abcoates]

A friend of mine had 5 of them at one point, not all running at once. Hard to tune with the four individual carbies!

[@realnutteruk1]

you car guys are such lightweights.... Us bikers have been coping with four carbs since Honda launched the 360/4, in 1968?? Carb balancing is (was) just a part of biking life... no big deal, you just learned to do it....

[@simes205]

@@realnutteruk1 Yep my NC30 has 4 carbs, actually my 205GTI has individual throttle bodies too!

[@BokorRider]

Ian Tyrell would tune them just using a bit hose pipe to listen to them Tyrells Classic Cars you YT ! he can do V12s that way :D

[@pashakdescilly7517]

@@realnutteruk1 Honda 360/4? Never made by Honda. Their first i4 engined bike was the 750 in 1969, followed by the 500/4 in '71and 350/4 in '72. The only 360 they made was a twin

[@AaronSpielman]

Very happy for you, Johnny. Also, very envious. I love the S series cars.

[@alanbarrese456]

Glad to see you're enjoying the little S600. It was this same enthusiasm and Honda spirit that they injected into their later sports cars. If you ever get a chance to drive a Honda Beat, I highly recommend it, as you will have a very similar experience, except it's mid-engine instead. I'm glad you noticed the precise gear shifter, that is another Honda sports car trait, still present in the modern S2000 and S660. I love seeing the joy you get from driving it, as I have the exact same feeling when I drive my S2000. You have a very special car, enjoy it well!

[@bentaxelrod]

I had one in the 70s. Here in Australia. The interior was, as I understand it, a copy of the lotus elite. Mine did 100 mph at 10,000 rpm. I should never have sold it.

[@prakashnarismulu3332]

Still has its original South African Transvaal number plate

[@Zxr750Nick]

Really different approach from Jonny, drivjng his own car Vs one provided by manufacturer. A true labour of love and a credit to his tenacity. That is a heap of revs!

[@OhioPeteS2k]

I love little Hondas. Was looking for a Beat but bought an Acty five years ago. You have the best of the little Hondas!

[@CarCrazy24]

What tires are those, could you send me the model/spec? I have a 64 S600 convertible

[@pashakdescilly7517]

Dunlop SP aka 'Aquajet', a very '70s radial tyre

[@CarCrazy24]

Pashak de Scilly any idea the specs?

[@IRBucephalus]

"Enthusiastic McLaren F1 crasher"

[@lyricrf]

A cracking little car, and another great vid, keep up the good work. Greetings from NZ

[@ihaveacoolhat1]

Some lovely metal in the garage. And what a cool little Honda. They sound insane.

[@rpjwhite]

Reving all the way to 9k seems so wrong in these days of turbo engine.

[@crankcase75]

Tuned Skyline GT-R RB26 engines could rev to that back in the day, and wee turbo kei cars like the Suzuki Cappuccino would go to 8k standard and 11k with some mods. You can have boost and revs and it feels wonderfully naughty, but I think the modern turbo engines are a different breed with different priorities in terms of efficiency and stuff.

[@logicalChimp]

The Mazda RX7 reved that high (or higher) - and that was *with* a turbo :p

[@alperenerol1852]

it's a bike engine. You can rev some engines up to 20k

[@grahamhaynes7658]

My jdm wrx sti revs to 8250rpm,with a twinscroll turbo.

[@scottyjones27]

Why rev engine so much

[@cutler65]

Wow! What a stunningly beautiful piece of engineering. The look on your face as you changed gear. 😊 only one major flaw... You are way too tall for that little beauty. I'm only 5ft 5ins, so I'll drop by and collect the car this weekend? 😬 Just let me know a convenient time that suits you? 😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@mond56r89]

That brings some memories back. My Mother had a silver S800 in the late sixties. I would've been seven or eight years old and used to love going out in it.

[@edinburghgus8379]

Those new Defenders look huge on the road. Not just in comparison to the little Honda.

[@RandyWillcox]

I'm in love with your S600! ❤️🚗 *edit: although, at 6'2", I'm thinking it has to be a romance I can't fulfill. I already have a hard time with leg room in most compact cars. 😔

[@drawwithdan5821]

I think Jonny is 6ft 3”

[@hazzalandy]

This vs the Charger. Bit bonkers they're a similar age

[@Android-vk8yh]

He needs to put it in the boot of the charger and drive it out at shows👍😂

[@SuperMarge123]

Brilliant, what a fantastic car . Total respect. Total viewing pleasure, thank you . Regards Gareth Wiltshire UK. Gratitude. Quality.

[@duncanajpv8]

This is incredible, I love it! Seeing you stand next to it, really shows the tiny size 😯😊

[@craigsutherland5153]

Looks like a toy car on the rolling road

[@drawwithdan5821]

It’s an absolutely joy to watch and listen to that little engine sing! Brilliant!

[@TheDoctorhuw]

Took me back to my teens Jonny. My mum worked for a Fiat dealership and had a 850 spots coupe and although not in anyway the same level of refinement or exquisite engineering as the Honda they both invokes the same 60 early 70 style and sense of adventure. She had it for about 15 years I learnt to drive in it and more importantly it sparked my interest in engineering. Thanks wonderful stuff.

[@trevorwhite915]

Thanks for that video it takes me back my second car was a little Honda 360, great little car but not in the same league as this one. Still it was a great fun car to drive really wish I still had it, maybe one day I will get another one.

[@bob-mu7wk]

This is just outrageously cool, I absolutely love it! Fabulous looking little thing!

[@perunut4656]

Just sounds so good. Well done, knocked out another really interesting video!

[@Android-vk8yh]

Thanks Johnny this is pure Honda heaven for me, I love this car it's like Aston Martin MG & A Datsun 240Z and an e type had an orgy and were joined by a Honda 600 superbike and produced a gorgeous stunted love child👍😂🤭🤗 I was lucky to see a few of these at Brands Hatch, I think we should have a part 3 with you meeting up with with the club , I'd love to see Tiff flinging one around a track at 9 thousand revs.....👏👍

[@jeremytravis360]

Love this car. My friend Allan bought one and took me down a bit of motorway. It reminded me of a Swiss Sewing Machine singing away with precision of a watch.

[@kana4114]

Great to see you persevered and finished that little beauty! Saving a pieced history is amazing! The grill kind of looks like an Aston Martin…

[@phila3884]

I'm halfway through my own S600 roadster restoration. All original LHD (I'm in the USA), red like yours. Videos like this keep the fires stoked to complete the project... You've obviously moved on to high-level S600 enthusiast- obtaining the original red cloisonne key blank and all...I wish we could get a closer look at your new exhaust. Those twisted 4 -into-2 header pipes are pure automotive art in steel.

[@caddydan7427]

Fantastic video dude. Been a plesure working with yourself and the honda.

[@randersson3672]

"What a wonderfull little thing" Just what I think EVERY time I drive my Honda CRX...🥰