The 6 Tiny Japanese Sports Cars

Tiny Japanese Sports Cars

Japan is an island country, which is famous for its sushi, tea, and calligraphy. Aside from sushi Japan is renowned for producing practical and reliable cars that don’t break your bank. Over the years, Japan has produced some of the best sports cars, such as Toyota Sports 800, Honda S500, and S660 Roadster. Sports car enthusiasts love sports cars produced by Japanese automotive companies.

If you know about “Tokyo Drift,” then you’ll know why car lovers love Japanese sports cars. In this article, we’ll talk about 6 tiny Japanese sports cars. So, let’s get started!

1. 2015 Honda S660 Roadster
2. 1991–1996 Honda Beat
3. 1965–1969 Toyota Sports 800
4. 1992–1994 Mazda Autozam AZ-1
5. 1963–1970 Honda S500 – S800
6. 1991–1998 Suzuki Cappuccino

61991–1998 Suzuki Cappuccino

The 6 Tiny Japanese Sports Cars: Suzuki Cappuccino

Suzuki is another famous car manufacturer from Japan, and it has produced some of the best performing sports cars. Cappuccino is one of the best Kei sports cars manufactured by Suzuki. The car’s primary aim was to meet Kei car specifications for lower insurance and taxes in Japan. The layout of the car is a rear-wheel-drive with a front mid-engine.

The Suzuki Cappuccino’s original variant had an F6A engine, but K6A replaced F6A in the car’s later variants. The K6A engine was 657 cc, turbocharged, and intercooler and delivered the power of 63 HP. Cappuccino featured disc brakes, double wishbone suspension, and power steering.

51963–1970 Honda S500–S800

The 6 Tiny Japanese Sports Cars: Honda S500-S800

S500 was a Kei sports car produced by Honda, and it was released in 1963. Honda produced over 1300 units of S500. The engine of S500 was a high-tech engine, which was developed by the professionals and experts of Honda motorcycle. The S500 featured a 531 cc engine and delivered a power output of 44 HP, and had a top speed of 129 km/h. The car also came with an optional fiberglass hardtop variant.

Similarly, the S800 was Honda’s sports car, which was introduced at the 1965 Tokyo motor show. The car was available in Roadster or coupe body style. It featured a 791 cc engine that delivered a power output of 70 HP and had a top speed of 160 km/h.

41992–1994 Mazda Autozam AZ-1

The 6 Tiny Japanese Sports Cars: Mazda Autozam AZ-1

Autozam AZ-1 is one of the tiny sports car manufactured by Japanese automotive company Mazda. The engine of the Autozam AZ-1 was designed and manufactured by Suzuki. It is a mid-engined Kei sports car that went into production in October 1992 and was discontinued in 1995. The feature that made the Mazda Autozam AZ-1 standout was its gullwing doors. It was designed by Toshiko Hirai and Tatsumi Fukunaga.

Suzuki designed the engine of Autozam AZ-1, which was a turbocharged 657 cc engine. It had a power rating of 64 PS @ 6500 RPM and delivered a torque of 63 lb-ft. Later on, Suzuki started producing its variant, which was named as Suzuki Cara.

RELATED: What Is a JDM Car?

31965–1969 Toyota Sports 800

The 6 Tiny Japanese Sports Cars: Toyota Sports 800

Toyota is a well-known name in Japan’s automotive industry, and it produces quality and reliable cars. Sports 800 was the first sports car produced by Toyota, and it was introduced at the Tokyo auto show in 1962. Officially Toyota started the production of its first sports car in April 1965. Shozo Sato and Tatsuo Hasegawa designed the aerodynamics of the vehicle.

Toyota Sports 800’s first variant featured the aluminum Targa top and a lift-out roof panel. The tiny sports car had a 790 cc petrol engine, and the power output was 44 HP. Moreover, the car had a 4-speed manual transmission. Toyota produced over 3,000 units of Sports 800 from 1965 to 1969.

21991–1996 Honda Beat

The 6 Tiny Japanese Sports Cars: Honda Beat

Like Honda S660, Beat is a lightweight, mid-engined tiny sports car, and it was the last car approved by Soichiro Honda, and it was designed by Pininfarina, an Italian car designing firm. There were two different mainstream models, i.e., PP1-100 and PP1-110, and other limited edition variants. The first model, PP1-100, featured cosmetic updates, while the second model featured real mechanical changes.

Honda Beat featured a 650 cc MTREC I3 engine and delivered a power of 63 BHP. The tiny sports car had a top speed of 135 km/h, and it was available in 5-speed manual transmission. Honda Beat has featured in the most loved and watch British automotive TV program “Top Gear.” The sports car featured a sun visor, power windows, AC, steel wheels, halogen headlamps, and front stabilizer.

12015 Honda S660 Roadster

The 6 Tiny Japanese Sports Cars: Honda S660 Roadster

Honda S660 Roadster 15’ is a lightweight, mid-engined tiny sports car by Roadster. The car is a successor to Honda Beat. It was introduced in April 2015 and still in production; every year, up-gradation is made to improve the performance of the car’s performance. The vehicle was developed by Ryo Mukumoto, who won an in-house competition and became the youngest lead engineer in the history of Honda.

When it comes to performance, the S660 comes with a turbocharged 658 cc engine. The car engine is mid-mounted and produces a power of 63 horsepower and generates a torque of 7 lb-ft. The car comes in a 2-door roadster body style and features 6-speed manual CVT transmission.

The Bottom Line

When you think of Japan, you think of either sushi or cars, and over the years, Japan has produced some of the best sports cars. Car lovers know that if a sports car is from Japan, it would be worth it. All these tiny sports cars mentioned in this article are the best sports cars manufactured by Japanese automotive companies.