1969 Honda S800 Coupé

First registered 15 April 1969, this right-hand-drive Honda S800 Coupé had just four owners in the UK, including one who apparently received it as a retirement present from his family and another who spent several years restoring the car in the late nineties.

By the early 2000s, according to UK licensing authorities, the car was off the road, presumably dry stored by its then owner. It was sold at auction in October 2018 - described as being unable to start due to a starter motor issue - and was purchased by our vendor, a collector from Belgium.

He got the car running again and although it would still benefit from some carburettor fettling, it drives beautifully. He initially bought it because he loved the shape and the diminutive stature of the car, but the collection is now focusing on British sporting and luxury cars, so this pocket-sized Honda doesn’t really fit.

The exterior is finished in white although the UK licensing authority believes it to be yellow. We can only assume that it was repainted some while ago - perhaps during the restoration 20+ years ago - but not amended on the registration.

We can imagine that the S800 was first designed as a roadster and then given a fastback coupé treatment. To some, the shape appears a little awkward particularly around the rear hatch and Kamm tail, but it is a good-looking, fun car that is full of character.

The paint is in generally good condition although there are the beginnings of rust bubbling up on the front lip of the bonnet and on the nearside sill rearward of the passenger door.

Body-wise there are a few slightly wavy panels - again on the nearside - and a couple of small dents in the passenger door. However, the panel gaps and shut lines around the car look nice and even.

The chrome brightwork mostly presents well for the car’s age with just a light speckling here and there on some of the trim but with heavier pitting on the grille.

The Honda sits on 13-inch steel wheels, which are in reasonable condition with scuffing and light corrosion around the rims. They are all finished with H-embossed chrome-dome hubcaps and are shod with Michelin tyres at the front and a mix of Gallopro and Matador tyres on the rears.

The interior is upholstered in a black vinyl. The seats look good with very little wear and with no damage that we could see.

Up front, the black padded vinyl dash and plain black instrument panel are very “of the period” and there is a full set of original Denso instruments. A PYE Petite radio fitted in the centre console looks original and blends in well with the overall look of the dashboard.

The steering wheel is relatively large in diameter for the size of the car and has metal spokes with a wood-effect plastic rim - all of which look in good order.

The carpets and floor pans underneath look sound, with a little surface rust in the passenger footwell. Up above, the headlining is clean and taut.

The only thing we could find that needs attention is that the door card on the driver’s side needs a few more clips attaching it to the frame at the rear.

Opening the front-hinged bonnet, you see a clean and very neatly packaged engine bay. Checking the build plate, both the engine and chassis numbers match - so both are original.

As we’ve already mentioned, the vendor reports that the engine starts, runs and drives well - although it may benefit from a tune up of the quad Kei-Hin carburettors. Generally the front end presents well but there is some light rust around the rim of the bonnet lid to keep an eye on.

Underneath the car there are areas of older underseal which has flaked off in places, some surface rust as you’d expect but no obvious damage. There are glimpses here and there of the previous yellow exterior paint. The exhaust looks like a stainless steel unit and appears in good order.

Under the rear hatch, the luggage area extends well into the rear cabin - like a pocket-sized Jaguar E-type or MGB GT - and the carpets and linings are in good condition.

There is a small amount of paperwork with the car, some UK tax discs and MoT (annual test) certificates - although its last test must have been before 2006 when UK records went online.

There are also a few receipts, some S800 literature and Owners' Club paperwork and correspondence as well as some photos of the restoration in the nineties.

We understand that despite a relatively large production run for the Honda S800, just 96 cars were produced in right hand drive and only 15 of these were supplied to the UK market.

If this was one of those 15 or whether it came from another right-hand-drive market like Australia isn’t yet clear - the owner’s club may be of some help in this - but either way this Honda S800 is a relatively rare car which we think will sell for €20.000 to €30,000.

As with all classic sports cars, whoever buys it should do so not for its potential value but for the fun they can have with this high-revving Japanese Midget-beater.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located in Zelem, Belgium. To arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our “Frequently Asked Questions”.