Honda S360

Production period:	1961-1963
Make:	Honda
Class :	Sports car
Body:	convertible
Drive:	rear
Engines:	Gasoline 356 cu

The Honda S360 is a rare small open prototype sportscar of the Japanese car manufacturer Honda , which was only produced from 1961 to 1963.

History

The first Honda - Automotive car was the pre-production model S360 (type code AS250) from 1962. The S meant for Sports Car, while the number of cubic capacity stood for cubic capacity. This convertible was the precursor to the Honda S500, Honda S600, and Honda S800 sports series. It was unveiled to the public alongside the T360 (tiny truck, small truck, type code AK250) and the S500 at the 9th Tokyo Motor Show on October 25, 1962. (type code AS280).

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) recommended in 1955 that a four-seat "People's Car" with a top speed of 100 km/h and a price of 150,000 yen be built in Japan. Even Honda had urged that they consider about making automobiles. Honda's automotive development began in 1958 with a small group of 50 new employees who constituted the company's first automobile development department. The Honda Sports Series project was overseen by Yoshio Nakamura, who eventually went on to become Formula One Team Manager. Motoo Nakajima was in charge of the body, steering, and suspension. He left Kurogane for Honda in 1957, at the age of 39, and was assigned to Honda R & D's third Honda research department.

At first, only seven young engineers were assigned to him. In the development of TAS260 were involved more. Takashi Kume, Tadashi, Mori Teruyuki and Niimura Kimio were responsible for engine development. The power transmission took over Tadashi Nakamura, Yoshio Kurihara and Kiyoshi Kume. The chassis was the job of Kiyoshi Mori and Nagatomo Makoto worked around the subframe. The body designed Nakashima Hazime, the interior Taisuke Mori, Kawamura Masao and Hagiwara Hidekuni. The development of the rear axle and the chassis were transferred to Kiyoshi Mori, the front axle Kamiyama Mikihiro.

In October 1958, the designs were finished, in early 1959, the first prototype XA170 was completed and made the first road tests. It had a longitudinally mounted four-cylinder, air-cooled V-engine with 60-degree bank angle and two carburetors combined with a four-speed gearbox. This experimental vehicle had been constructed only for the first experiments and had a semi- monocoqueFrame with a flat bottom on which you could also install rear seats. The hood and fenders were made of sheet metal parts and bolted. The roof and the doors were made of plastic pieces and clipped on. Due to various air cooling limitations, this four-cylinder V engine was initially rejected as unsuitable. The air cooling was an obsession Sōichirō Honda, he held until the mid-sixties on air-cooled engines, but was convinced by sales problems of the benefits of water cooling by his engineers.

In 1967, however, first came the N360 and 1968, the N600 with a transverse air-cooled two-cylinder engine on the market. In the Honda 1300/145 model series from 1969 air-cooled four-cylinder engines were installed transversely in front .

The following two-seat prototype XA190 from December 1958 had now a longitudinally installed air-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine with two carburettors and a four-speed transmission. The body was made of polyester.

In the prototype TAS260 of May / June 1962, the true forerunner of the S360, it was already possible to recognize the small sports car, now a water-cooled 360 cc 4-cylinder engine (XA250) was installed and tested. From him two copies were built in the Honda Institute of Technology Albino / Wako.

In the prototype 3X120 in April 1962 and XAK250 in June 1962 came for the pickup truck T360 also a water-cooled 360 cc engine used.

The Japanese government, represented by the MITI , had decided in 1962 to pass a law in which only three companies should be granted the rights to build automobiles. The colors red and white of commercial vehicles were by law prohibited, which actually preferred Honda for its new vehicles. It was believed that white vehicles could be confused with the ambulance or police (white / black) and red with the fire department. Soichiro Honda sat down with the help of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun in an article for the free choice of color on vehicles. The ban was lifted a little later.

The first presentation of the red S360 (TAS260) was on June 5, 1962 at the 11th National Honda Meeting on the Honda-owned and soon after completed Suzuka racetrack . Soichiro Honda himself drove the car to this internal presentation, where a few privileged dealers were present. These dealers were happy to soon be able to offer vehicles to catch the declining motorcycle sales in the winter months.

The first official presentation of the S360 (AS250) was on October 25, 1962 at the 9th Tokyo Motor Show . The silver metallic S360 convertible was presented with a water-cooled 360 cc engine alongside the T360 (T stands for mini truck, small truck) and the Scarlet S500 .Of these twelve prototype S360 prototypes , none has survived.

Due to marketing considerations, the S500 was considered the better vehicle, also for export. Only the T360 , which occurred in August 1963, the Japanese market had, the water-cooled 360 cc engine with 30 hp more civil (22 kW) at 8,500 rpm .

The small, water-cooled, 360 cc, high-performance, cast aluminum engine was positioned forwardly longitudinally and 45 degrees to the left, tilted around the longitudinal axis, in the engine compartment for reduced installation height. Honda needle bearings were used to support the crankshaft , the two overhead camshafts, and the lower conrod bearings, resulting in lower friction and lower lubrication and cooling problems. Four Keihin horizontal throttle carburetors supplied the engine with the mixture, producing 33 hp (24 kW) at 9,000 rpm. The mean piston speed at rated speed was 14.1 m / s. This resulted in an outstanding liter output of 92.6 hp / l.

PERFORMANCE:
ENGINE CAPACITY: 21.77 cu in, 356 cu cm
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 70.6 m/imp gal, 58.8
MAX SPEED: 74.5 mph, 120 km/h
max power (SAE): 34 hp at 9000 rpm
max torque (SAE): 27.5 1b ft, 3.8 kgm at 7000 rpm
max number of engine rpm: 10000
max speed in 4th gear: 74.5 mph, 120 km/h
power-weight ratio: 33.0 lb/hp, 15 kg/hp.

Incidentally, some Honda engine designers were part of the design team of Dr. Honda. Nakagawa, under whose leadership the engines of the Zero-hunter ( Mitsubishi A6M ) emerged

The power was transmitted via a propshaft and differential via two drive shafts and from there via a chain left and right on the rear wheels. The chain boxes with oil bath were supported as a swing by coil springs with internal telescopic shock absorbers on the frame. The car thus had an independent suspension . This construction principle was retained for the entire Sports series. Only the later S800 got from May 1966 a conventional rigid axle on trailing arm . The front wheels were guided by control arms and shock absorbersdamped, and by a left and right longitudinal torsion bar , which was mounted in the frame, sprung. The delay took four drum brakes .

The instruments passed from the tachometer to 11,000 rpm (red area 9,000 rpm ), tachometers to 140 km / h cooling water thermometer, ammeter and the fuel gauge. The S360 had a split front bumper and only one tailpipe. A glass dome was ever mounted above the headlights and parking lights. The grille had four struts in which the turn signals were integrated. The soft top - hood was fully retractable.

The first prototype red TAS260 of the S360 had a tubular frame and the body was mainly from polyester.

The second, white or silver prototype ( TAS260 ) was also shown at the Suzuka race track. The prototype had a steel box frame and an aluminum body. The body formed slightly rounded and up to the front wheel cut a little longer from the main headlights. The front grill was slightly narrower than the following AS250.

The third, silver metallic prototype S360 ( AS250 ) was presented at the 9th Tokyo Motor Show and had a 7 "headlight (= 178 mm ) as well as a side lockable fuel tank cap.This prototype also had a steel box frame, but the bodywork It was now made of sheet steel, and in 1962 two examples were built at the Honda Institute of Technology Albino / Wako and another eight at the Honda Hamamatsu plant in 1963. Five further incomplete copies were used to develop the S500.Since the car was 2.99 m shorter than 3 m, the buyer did not need to prove their own parking space, as required for longer vehicles in Japan. So he could reach a large group of buyers. This microcar was referred to in the 60s in Japan as the Kei Car class.

VARIATIONS AND OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES:
5-speed mechanical gear box;
500 Sports, engine capacity 30.09 cu in, 492 cu cm, max power (SAE) 40 hp at 8000 rpm, overall length 125.79 in, 3195 mm, dry weight 1169 1b, 530 kg, max speed 87.0 mph, 140 km/h.