Original Red 1991 Honda Beat At Auction in Japan

Yesterday we learned that the Honda S660 Concept from last year’s Tokyo Motor Show is officially slated for production. As you may remember, the S660 is based on the Honda Beat, a subcompact two-door roadster that enjoyed a five-year production run from 1991 to 1996. It’s held with special regard among Honda enthusiasts because it was the final car approved by Honda’s original founder, Soichiro Honda, before his death in 1991.

As it turns out, there are 13 different Honda Beats up for auction in Japan at the time of this writing. One in particular stood out as a share worthy find – it’s an original 1991 model with a classic red paint job in good condition. You can find the auction sheet at the bottom of this post, but first let’s take a look at the retro roadster’s front and back:

If you do a bit of research, you’ll find that the original Honda Beat is often referred to as the Pininfarina-Honda Beat. This is because its design was sourced from an Italian design firm called, you guessed it, Pininfarina. To put the name in context, Pininfarina was founded in 1930 and has served prestigious automakers like Ferrari, Fiat, Peugeot and Alfa Romeo for generations. This is probably one of the big reasons why the Honda Beat saw such success in its first year sales.

To give you an idea of what lies beneath that shiny red hood, the Honda beat runs on a three-cylinder 656 cc engine modified with a Multi-Throttle Responsive Engine Control system, distinguished by its use of individual throttle bodies for each cylinder. The MTREC system served as a substitute for the turbochargers and superchargers which were popular at the time, allowing the Beat to achieve 63bhp and a top speed of 84mph. The car was only ever available with a five-speed manual transmission, so this isn’t the car for you if you’re an automatic-only driver.

Now, you’re probably wondering what you can expect from this kei sports car’s interior. Take a look at the interior image included with the auction below:

As you can see, the interior definitely reveals the era from which this car comes. You can’t expect anything less than zebra print from the 90s, but it’s not over the top in any way. Since it’s a two-seat roadster there’s plenty of legroom for the passenger, along with all the tech goodies of yesteryear, including Air Conditioning, a coin holder and a cigarette dispenser.

As you’ll see if you continue reading through our translation of the auction sheet, this particular Honda Beat has been registered as a Grade 4. This means that it’s in good condition for its make and model year. We’ll go into more detail below the official auction sheet:

Translation of the Auction Sheet

Interior C, first registered in 1991, 5-speed manual, power windows, one owner, first time in auction, 9622KM, AC doees not work, drivers seat has minor, rear screen is cloudy, door mirrs and rear spoiler paint is faded, scratches and dents, front windscreen stone scratches, exterior paintwork faded under front bumper at left front corner, exterior paintwork faded under rear bumper, marks as per map