Japanese carmaker, Honda, started off as a bicycle auxiliary engine manufacturer in 1948, and has since evolved into one of the most iconic and recognized JDM brands ever. Several legendary cars have emerged from Honda's factories in years past, like the S2000 that was featured in the 'fast and furious franchise', the track-focused Civic Type R, or the tuner's dream CRX.All the Hondas we just mentioned - and several more, are more than deserving of their own in-depth reviews, but we're here to talk about something far more special in terms of historic value in what was one of the first Honda vehicles ever: the S600.As the predecessor to pretty much all the Honda sports cars and sedans that came after it, the S600 from 1964 set an immensely high benchmark that marked the path for the Japanese car manufacturer's future success. Let's take a detailed look at it.Related: 10 Reasons Why Gearheads Should Consider The Acura NSX

How The Honda S600 Came To Be1965 Honda S600 Sports Car

Honda's first-ever vehicle came out in 1963 in the form of a mini-truck called the T360, and only four months later, the S500 was released as the brand's first genuine car. It was a handsome and quirky two-door roadster, and a great start for Honda, but there was still much to improve upon. That's why only 1 year later, Honda dropped the S500 and came to market with a perfect little back road driver's car, and they called it the S600 in honor of its predecessor.

You might be wondering why we're referring to the S600 as the predecessor to all Hondas if the S500 was the actual godfather, so we'll explain ourselves. Only 1,363 units of the S500 were ever built and sold exclusively to the Japanese market, so these limited production numbers mean that it doesn't qualify as a mass-produced vehicle. On the other hand, 11,284 roadster versions and 1,800 coupe versions of the S600 were made and sold to other markets aside from just Japan, making it Honda's first-ever internationally mass-produced vehicle.

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Honda Nailed The S600's Exterior Design1965 Honda S600 Convertible, red cabrio, side, Mecum

The S600 was gorgeous, there's really no other way to put it. Similar to most roadster cars from its era, it featured a relatively small and thin chassis that was only large enough to accommodate 2 people, and even though it showcased rather simplistic design elements, they came together perfectly to bring home an overall look that was beautiful and timeless. Upfront, the Honda S600 featured a pair of large circular chrome-cut headlights that extended outwards from the vehicle's sloping hood; the grille and bumper were both small and finished in chrome as well, as was the single side mirror that was positioned on the driver side fender.

The rear of the S600 was even more laid back in terms of styling, featuring a quite squared-out shape and a simple pair of rounded taillights, topped off by another small chrome bumper. However, things were slightly different for the rarer coupe versions of the S600; those had a hardtop roof that sloped down all the way to the bumper, making the car look like a hatchback.

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Performance Wasn't The Honda S600's Strong Suit

Honda S600 hard top front third quarter view
Via: Silodrome.com

Remember, just a few years before the release of the S600, Honda was nothing more than a motorcycle company, so they didn't have the means nor the technology to fabricate all-new car engines. For this reason, they ended up fitting a 0.6 Liter four-stroke aluminum engine that had been modified to work on a larger vehicle, and they did this by adding several carburetors and a pair of overhead cams to help the engine pull the extra weight. Nonetheless, this didn't change the fact that the S600 was basically running on a motorcycle engine, and thus, it made a measly 58 horsepower.

Speed clearly wasn't a term the S600 was familiar with, but it was rear-wheel drive and had a 9000 rpm redline, so getting behind the wheel and using its four-speed manual gearbox was still quite pleasant.

Now that we've gone over pretty much everything there is to know about Honda's first mass-produced vehicle, we hope it's clear why the S600 is seen as the cornerstone for the entire Honda franchise we know and love today. When compared to other popular car companies, Honda is actually quite young, which gives them even more credit for having managed all that they were able to in their short history.