Counting the Beat

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It has been said that driving a small car fast is more fun than driving a fast car slowly, and when it comes to driving on public roads this is basically true. If you’re driving a supercar you can hit the open road speed limit before you’re out of first gear. On the other hand, the Honda Beat can hit the speed limit, eventually. That may not sound like fun, but in a tiny car with an 8500rpm red-line, it sure does feel it. It’s an antidote to big, boring modern cars, and you can own this one. Read on...

The Honda Beat is a Kei car, which is a class of car for the Japanese domestic market that has size and power limits and in return attracts lower tax and is allowed in places larger cars are not. Initially these cars were small commuter cars and tiny delivery vehicles. But in 1991 Honda, Suzuki and, a year later, Autozam (Mazda) decided to try creating Kei sports cars. The results were the Beat, the Cappuccino and the wild AZ1, three amazing, sort of shrunken down supercars that complied with the Kei car rules.

Kei cars have a maximum length of 3.4m and 1.48m wide with an engine no bigger the 660cc, producing no more than 63hp. These rules would seem like an insurmountable challenge to someone designing a sports car that was fun. First came the Honda Beat, and as was Honda’s way, they went normally aspirated and high revving. It has a 3 cylinder engine with individual throttle bodies that revs to 8500rpm with peak power at 8100rpm. The Beat only weighs 735kg, is mid-engined and rear wheel drive. So you start to get an idea of how much fun is available in such a small package with so little power.

The Beat is as much fun as it sounds – a chuckable chassis, a screaming engine, with your butt just inches from the road beneath you. Sure, a slog down State highway 1 won’t be as enjoyable as a blast along country back roads. So just stick to back roads and you’ll have as much fun, maybe even more, as someone in a Ferrari.

This car is from the 1^st year of production and has just 122,500kms on the clock. And yes, the zebra pattern upholstery is original. It’s an absolute, stone cold classic and pretty affordable with an auction estimate of $9000-$11000. More details here.