Photo: Mugen
A bit of a forbidden fruit for western markets, the Honda S660 isn’t your typical kei car. It’s designed from the ground up to be as fun to drive as technically possible, and as opposed to the S2000, the pint-sized roadster is a mid-engine affair.
The spiritual successor of the Beat relies on a 656-cc turbocharged three-cylinder engine, matched with a six-speed manual transmission or a continuously variable transmission, although the latter misses the point of a sports car. Speaking of which, the S660 can be improved on the handling front by the mad peeps at Mugen.
Yamaha Performance Dampers open the list of modifications over the bone-stock specification, promising to improve stability and maneuverability while reducing vibrations and suspension noise over rough roads. The FR8 forged aluminum wheels, finished in Graphite Gun, are also worthy of note. 15 by 5 inches at the front and 16 by 6 inches out back, these babies are wrapped in 165/55 and 195/45 rubber. The Japanese tuner, however, is also known for exterior makeovers.
In the case of the S660, the most obvious change would be the aero-designed bumpers and side skirts. These parts are made from Polyphenylene Ether, a material which is extremely popular with medical equipment such as respirators, masks, goggles, face shields, gowns, coveralls, and gloves. LED fog lights and “aero illumination” are also available, and Mugen can further improve the S660 with a “sports silencer” for the exhaust system instead of the bone-stock muffler.
As with the wheels, the PPE components are garnished with Graphite Metallic although the body color is the dominant color. These bad boys, however, don’t come cheap. The single most expensive modification is the front aero bumper at 132,000 yen excluding the LED fog lights and aero illumination, translating to $1,236 at current exchange rates. The rear bumper performance dampers, on the other hand, are 121,000 and 110,000 yen ($1,133 and $1,030, respectively).
Mugen doesn’t offer any performance-enhancing mods for the three-cylinder turbo, meaning that the mid-engine roadster makes do with 64 PS (63 horsepower) and 77 pound-feet (104 pound-feet) of torque. Although these figures seem underwhelming, don’t forget that we’re dealing with a lightweight sports car that tips the scales at 830 kilograms (1,830 pounds) with the six-speed manual.
Yamaha Performance Dampers open the list of modifications over the bone-stock specification, promising to improve stability and maneuverability while reducing vibrations and suspension noise over rough roads. The FR8 forged aluminum wheels, finished in Graphite Gun, are also worthy of note. 15 by 5 inches at the front and 16 by 6 inches out back, these babies are wrapped in 165/55 and 195/45 rubber. The Japanese tuner, however, is also known for exterior makeovers.
In the case of the S660, the most obvious change would be the aero-designed bumpers and side skirts. These parts are made from Polyphenylene Ether, a material which is extremely popular with medical equipment such as respirators, masks, goggles, face shields, gowns, coveralls, and gloves. LED fog lights and “aero illumination” are also available, and Mugen can further improve the S660 with a “sports silencer” for the exhaust system instead of the bone-stock muffler.
As with the wheels, the PPE components are garnished with Graphite Metallic although the body color is the dominant color. These bad boys, however, don’t come cheap. The single most expensive modification is the front aero bumper at 132,000 yen excluding the LED fog lights and aero illumination, translating to $1,236 at current exchange rates. The rear bumper performance dampers, on the other hand, are 121,000 and 110,000 yen ($1,133 and $1,030, respectively).
Mugen doesn’t offer any performance-enhancing mods for the three-cylinder turbo, meaning that the mid-engine roadster makes do with 64 PS (63 horsepower) and 77 pound-feet (104 pound-feet) of torque. Although these figures seem underwhelming, don’t forget that we’re dealing with a lightweight sports car that tips the scales at 830 kilograms (1,830 pounds) with the six-speed manual.
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