Techniek

The Honda Beat is a rear wheel drive, mid-engined two-seat roadster kei car produced from May 1991 to February 1996. The Beat was the last car to be approved by Soichiro Honda before he died in 1991. The total number of cars produced was around 33,600.  The design of the car originated from Pininfarina, who then sold the design plan to Honda. The Beat was one of many cars designed to take advantage of Japan’s tax-efficient kei car class.

In typical Honda fashion, the Beat’s engine did not utilize a turbocharger or supercharger. The 656 cc (40.0 cu in) engine was modified with the MTREC (Multi Throttle Responsive Engine Control) system, with individual throttle bodies for each of the three cylinders, to produce 64 PS (63 bhp) at 8100 rpm with an electronically limited top speed of 135 km/h (84 mph). Only a manual transmission was available.