The Honda S360 is a

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

with a engine manufactured by

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

. It was one of the first automobiles created by the company known for their

motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

. The S360 was unveiled on 5 June 1962 during the 11th Nation Honda Meeting General Assembly held at

Suzuka Circuit The , more famously known as the , is a long motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Honda Mobilityland, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co, Ltd. It has a capacity of 155,000. Introduction Soic ...

, but was never put into production. It used a 356 cc AK250E series

DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

inline-four engine shared with the Honda T360 ''kei'' truck.

History

In May 1955, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry announced a promotional program called the "People's Car." Their executive summary of the foreseen car was described as, “a four-seater with a top speed of 100 km/h, priced at ¥150,000." It immediately established the engineering target for manufacturers producing passenger cars of the coming era. Eventually several mini passenger models debuted in answer to MITI’s proposal, including Suzuki's Suzuki Suzulight, Suzulight in October 1955 and the Subaru 360 in March 1958. Honda hired nearly 50 engineers between 1957 and 1958 and created a new research facility all in preparation for car development. Consumers expected Honda to begin automobile production, however, Soichiro Honda remained somewhat cautious about the matter. In the December 1959 issue of the Honda Company Newsletter (Vol. 50), Honda stated, "we shouldn’t rush into auto production... until we conduct thorough research and are absolutely confident that every requirement has been fulfilled, including the performance of our cars and production facilities." Over the next couple of years, Honda would build and test prototype automobiles. The 11th National Honda Meeting General Assembly was held on 5 June 1962 at

. Honda showcased products and conducted test drives throughout the event. The all-new Honda S360 eventually took to the track with Soichiro Honda behind the wheel and Yoshio Nakamura (engineer), Yoshio Nakamura, manager of the development project, in the passenger seat. The S360’s entrance impressed the representatives of Honda’s franchised dealers who had strongly suggested that Honda manufacture cars so they had products they could sell during the winter months when motorcycle sales declined. On 25 October 1962 at the 9th Tokyo Motor Show, Japan National Auto Show, Honda displayed 3 new automobile models; the S360 and Honda S500, S500 Honda Sports series, and the Honda T360, T360 mini truck. Despite a very favorable reception at both the Honda Meeting and the Tokyo Motor Show, the S360 never made it to the market because the Honda S500, S500 was a much more marketable car on a global level.

References

{{Early Honda vehicles Honda vehicles, S360 Roadsters