GTP Cool Wall: 1964-1966 Honda S600

[Liquid]

Absolutely spot on, @Zenith. How would you make your first real successes? By copying what's working. Let's not kid ourselves into thinking this is a one-off; it happens in music, films, television, video games, everything. And with regard to cars, it was to get a foothold, before the aforementioned R3x Skyline series and Wankel Mazdas started to see Japan mature on its own. 10/10 post.

As for the S600. The convertible is really lovely, isn't it?

Cool

Edit: Just going off the copying design theme, I wonder if China will head in the same direction? A few decades of tracing paper designs before some true originality.

 

[TexRex]

Just going off the copying design theme, I wonder if China will head in the same direction? A few decades of tracing paper designs before some true originality.

I think that depends heavily on how China goes in other ways...I haven't ruled out the possibility of genocide with the only citizens remaining being those with a net worth over $1 million USD.

 

[mustafur]

Basically a Better engineered MGB, with a unique and charismatic engine.

Cool.

Can't say the Chinese are doing the same(atleast yet), they basically copy what cars they like but make them significantly worse.

 

[Jean Foisy]

High Cool. Best and most technically fascinating Honda.

Needle bearing crankshaft and chain drive. Thats pretty nuts.

👍

SZ from me.

How do you know this?

 

[Legro]

How do you know this?

How do you know, they know?

 

[Jean Foisy]

How do you know, they know?

What? I was ask how they know this about this car because i never hear such thing as have chains to drive wheels in a car just motorcycle.

 

[Legro]

What? I was ask how they know this about this car because i never hear such thing as have chains to drive wheels in a car just motorcycle.

Being built by a large company, has likely made someone to write about it, and when text is written someone usually reads it and if that text has something interesting information, which the chain driven car usually is for those who like cars like this, they share that information with other likeminded people. You read their text, they read someone else's. Simple.

 

[niky]

Chain drive is unusual, but not unique to the S600. The Morgan Three Wheeler also uses a chain... in mostly the same manner... with a driveshaft running from the engine to the rear, and a chain running off the rear differential to the rear tire.

Off-roaders use chains, as well. Many transfer-cases use chains rather than gears to channel power to the front axle.

And many microcars, such as the famous Isetta and Messerchmitt KR-series used chain drive.

 

[Dennisch]

Plenty of ye olde cars have chain drive as well.

 

[Beeblebrox237]

It's also worth mentioning that while the S600 was Honda's second car design, they had been Japan's largest manufacturer of motorcycles for several years before that so it's no coincidence that the S series had motorcycle engines and chain drives.

 

[TexRex]

Being built by a large company, has likely made someone to write about it, and when text is written someone usually reads it and if that text has something interesting information, which the chain driven car usually is for those who like cars like this, they share that information with other likeminded people. You read their text, they read someone else's. Simple.

To be fair, I initially found out through word-of-mouth rather than reading about it; I had no reason to suspect it was any different from the more conventional S800.

Chain drive is unusual, but not unique to the S600. The Morgan Three Wheeler also uses a chain... in mostly the same manner... with a driveshaft running from the engine to the rear, and a chain running off the rear differential to the rear tire.

Off-roaders use chains, as well. Many transfer-cases use chains rather than gears to channel power to the front axle.

And many microcars, such as the famous Isetta and Messerchmitt KR-series used chain drive.

The alternative to a chain for the Morgan is a far more complex floating spiral bevel drive connected to the wheel's hub with a driveshaft separated by at least one U-joint to get the power from the output shaft in the middle of the car's width to the input shaft on the side of the wheel, I suspect he (I presume they're a he, anyway) was referring to the wheels being driven by a chain off of the axles, and those microcars used engines and drive systems derived from motorcycles where retaining the chain drive was only logical. It's also worth noting that numerous vehicles use gear-drive reduction boxes behind the wheels, a chain is the lighter option and works fine so long as you're not subjecting it to massive amounts of torque.

Plenty of ye olde cars have chain drive as well.

Exposed chains, to boot.

(Tire technology has made leaps and bounds since then too.)

 

[Heldenzeit]

How do you know this?

I read a lot.