The Honda kei roadster sold in Japan from 1991 to 1996 was the Honda Beat. Honda produced the Beat from May 1991 until February 1996 as a tiny two-seat roadster designed for Japan’s tax-efficient kei-car class.
The Beat used a mid-mounted three-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels, an unusual layout for such a small car. Its 656 cc engine employed Honda’s MTREC technology and was paired with a five-speed manual transmission. The car’s compact dimensions, open-top body, and mid-engine balance made it a distinctive member of the early-1990s Japanese sports-car wave.
The design originated with Pininfarina, whose proposal was later developed for production by Honda. The Beat was also the last car approved by Honda founder Soichiro Honda before his death in 1991. Approximately 33,600 were built, with about two-thirds produced during its first year.
The S660 is the Beat’s later Honda successor, introduced decades afterward. The Z and Today were other kei models, but neither matches the specific two-seat roadster described here.