This Honda S600 Turned Into a Dragster Looks Like a Hot Wheels Car
If you're in the market for a classic to turn into a dragster, there's a good chance you'll end up with an American car in your driveway. After all, there's a huge amount of aftermarket support for enthusiasts who want to make, say, a Fox-body Ford Mustang go very fast in a straight line. But a Honda S600? That takes serious commitment and serious skills. And yet, there's a Hot Wheels-like S600 tearing up drag strips down under.
The little coupe is the star of a YouTube channel called Rising Force, and it was recently showcased on Engine Swap Depot . Before you dive into the specs, it's the styling that stands out. There's a gigantic turbo poking right out of the hood, fat rear tires, and a parachute bolted to the rear end. I like that the factory headlights, grille, and bumpers are still on the car. This S600 clearly hasn't forgotten where it came from.
There's not much that still carries a Honda parts number in the engine bay. Power comes from a turbocharged, 3.0-liter straight-six that's sourced from Toyota and reportedly tuned to make 1,380 horsepower. For context, the stock S600 (which was never officially sold in the United States) used a tiny, 606cc four-cylinder engine rated at 55 hp. The engine reaches the XL rear tires via a two-speed automatic transmission.
Put another way, the Australian enthusiast who built this S600 multiplied the stock power output by 25, which is stunning. Running the six on methanol helps, and in one of the videos, someone tuning the car points out that the engine is running 42 psi. On a secondary level, the four-digit output also illustrates the tuning potential of Toyota's 2JZ engine, which famously powered the A80-gen Supra, among others.
You can check out the S600 going flat-out in the video above, which is also a fascinating glimpse into the Australian drag-racing scene.
What would Soichiro Honda think?
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