Born in 1906, Soichiro Honda was as famous in Japanese culture as Henry Ford was here in the U.S., in much the same manner. He didn’t invent the car but he made it better and gave the masses an opportunity to buy a quality product made in factories by skilled workers for a reasonable price. The Honda Beat was the last design he approved before his death in 1991. This 1991 Beat is listed here on eBay in Carrollton, Texas and the seller is asking $13,900 or best offer.
The first thing that stands out is the size of the wheels on this Beat, and the color, or lack of color if you’re of the school that refers to white as a tone rather than a color. The seller says they’re 15″ aftermarket wheels, but they look huge, don’t they? I don’t mind them at all, they seem to fit the unusual wheel wells pretty nicely. I’d prefer silver rather than white, but that’s just me.
Honda produced the somewhat groundbreaking kei car known as the Beat from early 1991 to early 1996 and they came in four colors: yellow as seen here, and also silver, red, and white. At under 11 feet in length and 4.5 feet in width, these are small cars, as is the case with kei cars. Fewer than 34,000 were made and they’re rare to see in the U.S. as they were never sold here when they were new. The seller says the convertible top is in good shape but the “rear lens” has faded, I’m assuming they mean the plastic rear window.
I’m bummed about the non-zebra-print seat fabric in this example. This is what that would have looked like, it adds another major zing to this already zing-filled car. I’d have to source some of that material if I were to jump over, I mean, jump on this car. Honda referred to the Beat as a “midship amusement” as they’re mid-engined and I’m positive are amusing to drive. If you aren’t 6′-5″ tall that is. I’ve seen a few at local cars & coffee-type events but have never sat in one. The seller doesn’t show us inside the trunk, unfortunately, but there is a nice variety of photos.
This isn’t the engine compartment as it’s actually located behind the seats and would be hard to nab a photo of that area. Is that yellow paint on the spare tire? Bummer. The engine should be Honda’s E07A 656-cc inline-three with 63 horsepower and 44 lb-ft of torque. Sending power through a five-speed manual to the rear wheels, this would be fun to own, yes, even with Chevy Suburbans on the freeway next to you. Have any of you seen a Honda Beat in person?
I’ve driven a Beat, Scotty, both on the freeways of Los Angeles and the back roads outside the city. It was a sheer blast, to say the least. Adapting to right-hand drive took seconds: the Beat seems scarcely wider than a motorcycle.
Honda may have called it an “amusement,” but they didn’t skimp on engineering and development. It was remarkably comfortable — at least for a 6’2″, 190-lb driver — handled wonderfully, and was finished as well as any mass-production Honda. Power (such as it is) was adequate, and the fact that you have to wind the bejeebers out of the engine to build up speed just added to the fun.
I hated to give it back, and if I had the coin for a good example — some of the recent Beats sent over from Japan don’t seem to be in particularly stellar shape — I’d happily pick one up. To me, this one appears to have had a repaint and some upholstery replacement, so I’d want to check it over VERY carefully. That seems strange for a mere ~54K miles.
One thing I do like about this car is the larger 15 inch wheels. They should make a huge difference in ride quality, as someone who has driven 13-inchers knows. Like all Kei cars and trucks in this country however, it’s way over-priced.
I don’t know, I think the ride would be better with taller sidewalls. That short of a wheelbase it’s easy to overshoot responsive and land in twitchy.
My Smart Car needs a companion, but not at that price…and this car is far from perfect.
I have seen one of these in Cambridge, MA. Small, nimble, looks like fun if you need 4 wheels under you. Otherwise, a CB750 might be a good alternative if you want to stick with Honda.