The Honda S 800 is an automotive history milestone – it was the first model by a Japanese manufacturer to be officially exported to Germany. From 1967 onwards, the compact two-seater, available as a coupé or a roadster, defined the sporty image Honda cars had in this country, and also heralded the start of a major export push by Japanese car manufacturers – new, it cost a comparably affordable 7,750 Deutschmarks. European engine builders closely studied the S 800, which was considered exemplary due to its state-of-the-art technology: in the 1960s, 791cc engines with 70bhp and up to 10,000rpm were known only in motor racing.

Honda's debut as a car manufacturer

Founded in 1945 under the name of Honda Motor Company Ltd., the company became Japan's leading motorcycle producer in the 1950s. With the launch of the S 360 and S 500, a small sports car available in two cubic capacity versions, Honda presented its first car in 1963 – the "S 600" convertible followed in 1964, and a "S 600" coupé in 1965. Honda showed the S 800 for the first time at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show. The manufacturer set up its own distribution company in Hamburg in 1967 and started to export its cars to Germany. A total of 11,523 Honda S 800s were produced during the period the car was built, from 1966 to 1970.