1969 Honda S800
(Featured on 9th July 2013)
Make: Honda
Model: S800
Year: 1969
Registration: MEB 702G
Sellers original description:
1969 Mark 2 Honda s800. The mark 2 has disk brakes over the mark 1 which had drums. I am the third owner. The first two each had the car for 20 years. The first used it as his every day car, the second did a full body nut and bolt rebuild in the 90’s and kept it in a heated garage and used it for warm weather pleasure only. I bought her with from the second owner with the engine in various boxes following a cylinder head problem he’d had 6 years earlier and left in store. I gave the car to an ex Aston Martin engineer in Newport Pagnell who had the head reset and did a full top and bottom end rebuild, replacing just about all moving parts on the way, at a cost of £3000.
Since the rebuild the car has done 50 miles due to a change in my circumstances and now it’s time to give her to someone else to enjoy. Her condition inside and out is beautiful. But for a 2” paint lift on the wing she is about perfect and as solid as new.
The engine is a treat to sit behind, more than 20 years ahead of its time. It’s an aluminium block with twin overhead cams and 4 carbs on a needle roller crank baring that redlines at 11000 rpm. Twin straight through chrome tail pipes with no baffles. The performance is surprisingly rapid for a 791cc engine but it loves to rev and for one of the smallest cars it sounds like a full pack of angry Hells Angles.
The shape is a blatant copy of European 1960’s design. A passer by once described her to me as a DB5 back end and a Maserati front end that has been put on a hot wash. It’s a tiny car but at 6’3” I have no problem getting comfortable in her and driving her about. Top Gear website names the s800 as the 23rd most desirable car ever for its geek engine and pretty looks. This is one of the best examples of very few out there in the UK.
Photos:
