Makes › Honda › S500 (AS280) · Rare production · 1963–1964 Rare
Honda
S500 (AS280)
Honda's first production sports car (DOHC four, chain final drive), quickly replaced by the S600.
Photo: Maysy · CC BY-SA 4.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 1,363 Built
- Years
- 1963–1964
- Engine
- Four-cylinder inline, front-mounted, aluminium, water-cooled · 530 cc / 0.5 LFactory: 530 cc
- Power
- 33 kW / 44.9 PSFactory: 33 kW
- Top speed
- 137 km/hFactory: 85 mph · converted
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Not yet verified
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The S500 was Honda's first production sports car, reaching the market in 1963 with a quad-carburettor twin-overhead-cam engine and a top speed of about 85 mph. It followed the S360 prototype and began the S-series that ended with the S800.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Honda S500 (AS280) (Wikimedia Commons: Honda S500)
Photo: Maysy · CC BY-SA 4.0
Honda S500 (AS280) (Wikimedia Commons: Honda S500)
Photo: Maysy · CC BY-SA 4.0
Honda S500 (AS280) (Wikimedia Commons: Honda S500)
Photo: Maysy · CC BY-SA 4.0
Honda S500 (AS280) (Wikimedia Commons: Honda S500)
Photo: Maysy · CC BY-SA 4.0
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productioncars produced Oct 1963–Sep 1964 (136 in 1963, 1,227 in 1964) | 1,3631 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Honda showed the S360 and S500 sports cars at the Japan Motor Show in 1962, and the S500 was chosen for production because the larger engine suited export sales. The first production S500s were built from October 1963, after the T360 truck, making it Honda's first production car. The engine was first 492 cc and then 531 cc.
The S500 was replaced by the larger-engined S600 in 1964; 1,363 S500s were built between October 1963 and September 1964 (136 in 1963 and 1,227 in 1964). It sold for the equivalent of $1,275 new.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard S500 (AS280).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Four-cylinder inline, front-mounted, aluminium, water-cooled2 Independently researched |
| Cylinders | 42 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 530 cc / 0.5 LFactory: 530 cc3 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Valvetrain | Twin overhead camshaft (DOHC)3 Independently researched |
| Fuel system | Four carburettors3 Independently researched |
| Power | 33 kW / 44.9 PSFactory: 33 kW2 Independently researchedThis Old Honda gives 44 horsepower at 8,000 rpm. |
| Power at | 8,000 rpm2 Independently researched |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
| Redline | 9,500 rpm2 Independently researched |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | 42 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Rear (chain drive)2 Independently researched |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Independent, double wishbones (torsion bars)2,4 Independently researched |
| Rear suspension | Independent, chain cases acting as trailing arms with coil-over struts2,4 Independently researched |
| Brakes | Drum brakes front and rear2 Independently researched |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | 725 kgFactory: 725 kg2 Independently researchedThis Old Honda gives approximately 1,500 pounds. |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 137 km/hFactory: 85 mph · converted3 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
The S500 is a roadster only, with an optional fibreglass hardtop. It has a 531 cc water-cooled aluminium DOHC four with one carburettor per cylinder, a four-speed gearbox with the final drive by oil-bath chains to the rear wheels, and drum brakes all round. The S600 that followed has a revised front end (grille, bumper, headlights) and a 606 cc engine.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
About – Honda Sports Registry Level B
- 1363 cars produced Oct 1963–Sep 1964 (136 in 1963, 1,227 in 1964)
-
2
Sporting Hondas - Classic Buyer's Guide Level C Classic Car NZ (classiccar.co.nz) · 2011-11-11
- aluminium 531cc water-cooled, dohc four-cylinder engine
- dohc four-cylinder engine
- 33kW at ... 8000rpm
- 33kW at an astounding ... 8000rpm
- 9500rpm redline
- four-speed gearbox
- wheels were actually driven, motorcycle-style, by chain
- Front suspension was also independent, with double wishbones
- chain-case acting as the suspension arm
- drum brakes front and rear
- S500 only weighed 725kg
-
3
Honda Collection Hall visit Level B Classic & Sports Car
- 530cc, quad-carb, twin-overhead-cam
- twin-overhead-cam engine
- quad-carb
- capable of an impressive 85mph
-
4
Generations: S500 Level D This Old Honda · 2004-10-31
- torsion bars in the front
- coil-over-shock strut units to the rear of each chain case
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