layout: mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
engine: 656cc inline-3
transmission: 5-speed manual
suspension: independent front and rear
brakes: discs front and rear
horsepower: 64@ 8100 rpm
weight: 1675 lbs.
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Two seats, a mid-engine layout and individual throttle bodies. Redline: 8700 rpm. Styling by Pininfarina.
Sounds exotic and expensive, right? Well, only part of that is true. Welcome to the Honda Beat, where starting prices currently hover around the $5000 mark.
The Beat was built to take advantage of Japan’s kei car regulations. Since 1990, kei cars have been limited to 660cc engines producing no more than about 64 horsepower. The body’s dimensions are restricted, too, to about 11 feet in length and no more than 4 and a half feet in width.
Kei cars first came about just after World War II. The goal was to incentivize the public into car ownership by offering insurance and tax breaks. The actual vehicle restrictions have evolved over the decades, but all these years later the discounts remain. (Between 1976 and 1990, for example, kei cars were limited to 550cc.)
The kei class welcomes all kinds of vehicles, from family sedans to small trucks and vans. The rules don’t restrict innovation, however, and over the years we’ve seen pint-sized performers ranging from roadsters to rally specials and retro machines. The Beat falls into that first class, placing fun above practicality. Cargo room? Very little. Zebra-print upholstery? Factory.
Was it that fast? By normal standards, no, not really. The Beat needed at least 13 seconds to reach 60 mph. Top speed was not quite 85 mph. But it was fun, playful and pocket-sized. And the top went down.
Honda released the Beat for the 1991 model year, and production lasted until the beginning of 1996. It was only sold on the Japanese market.
Here’s why this car matters to U.S. enthusiasts, though: 1991 was more than 25 years ago, meaning it’s now legal for those first Beats to be imported stateside. Production peaked that first year, too.
Where to find a Beat? Many have already been imported. JDM specialists like Duncan Imports and Montu Motors regularly stock them. They show up on Bring a Trailer, too.
Honda built more than 30,000 Beats. Expect to find lots of yellow cars, although red and silver were also popular. Special-edition Beats came in cool hues like Aztec Green Pearl, Captiva Blue Pearl, Blade Silver Metallic and Evergrade Green Metallic. Be warned that the stock tire sizes are a bit odd: 155/65R13 fronts and 165/60R14 rears.
Right now Beat prices seem to start around $5000 and peak near $10,000. And, as you’d expect, the less expensive cars tend to be rather, well, beat. As with some other early-’90s Hondas, rust can be a problem for the Beat, especially around the rear wheels. Even though the Beat was never officially imported, there are enough cars out there that with some patience you’ll find a good one.
Chris Nicholson, assistant shop manager at the Lane Motor Museum, has spent a lot of time with the Honda Beat, one of the many rare and unusual cars in their collection.
As you might imagine, Beats (and other Honda JDM kei cars) share very few parts with American-market Hondas. My advice for people importing such cars is to have them checked out and serviced by a shop in Japan prior to shipping. Have the shop include a few filters and belts for future service. Some exporters have their own shops and can even do the biannual shaken inspection if needed.
Two such shops that I have used are F.C. Autosource in Adachi, Tokyo, and Suruga Performance in Shizuoka City. Danny (F.C.) and Nick (Suruga) can help buyers out, from finding and inspecting potential purchases to servicing the cars and even handling the actual export of the car. Danny is originally from Dallas, and Nick is from Switzerland.
When we’ve had an emergency parts failure, such as a radiator hose giving out, we simply took the old hose to the parts store across the street, found something close, and cut it to fit.
We haven’t had to deal with replacing a top yet, but such items can usually be made by a local upholstery shop–including the back window for the Beat. If someone doesn’t have access to a quality shop, complete tops can be found on Yahoo! Japan auctions. Danny or Nick can buy them and ship them to the customer for a small fee.
Two of the worst things that can go wrong with a Beat both involve the ECU. It is mounted on the firewall behind the passenger seat. There are six canister-style capacitors in the ECU that can fail (or even burst) due to heat from the engine. This issue is exacerbated due to age. The other issue is the ECU getting wet from being caught in a heavy rain with the top down (or a really leaky top or back window). Also, the main relay can have cracked solder joints. Capacitor and relay issues can be solved by anyone talented with a soldering iron. But an ECU damaged by water should be replaced prior to exporting. As with anything made with plastic parts, those parts are aging (and the sun-exposed parts are aging faster), and production ended years ago. Replacing those bits will likely require searching the Yahoo! and eBay auctions.
I wonder how easily old parts can be obtained? I know it’s a 3 cylinder, so some parts may cross over to usdm civics. Body parts, I’m sure, are long gone. There doesn’t seem to be a cult following for performance for these. But it was never intended to. Honda had cup races for them in the 90’s in Japan. A turbo would surely make it really fun.
Edit: check this out. https://www.google.com/amp/s/jalopnik.com/honda-to-produce-new-parts-for-the-beat-so-it-can-be-wi-1797733968/amp
I saw one of these buzzing around the Boston area over the weekend! When the wife asked what it was, I told her it was a "sports car for ants".
Very cool to see these little things over here!
So...who in Japan makes swap kits?
In reply to Appleseed :
‘Busa engine.
I'm thinking 1 liter 5 valve Yamaha snowmobile engine that was based on a generation or two ago R1. No integral transmission.
Am I misremembering, or did this get posted about on here recently? Could have sworn how I posted that I wanted one, but the zebra print seats were almost a deal breaker.
Beat vs Cappuccino? Who has real world experience.
Wah choo talking about, mang?
In reply to Trackmouse :
The Beat engine doesn't have a lot of crossover to US Honda models from similar era.
In reply to te72 :
Per Honda Beat designers: it's not Zebra print upholstery, it's the Siberian White Tiger / Snow Tiger skin pattern that was the concept for the Beat interior.
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