6. Honda S600/S800 Roadster
Honda was one of the first Japanese car companies which entered the American market in the `60s, but the first Hondas weren’t cars because the company made and sold only small but durable scooter motorcycles in those days. However, Honda always had an ambition of starting proper car production and one of their first models was a cute little roadster called S600.
Introduced in 1964, the S600 was a two-seater convertible with extremely compact dimensions, lightweight, powered by a small 600cc engine. It had 57 HP but pretty lively performance since the car weighed just 1500 pounds. Interestingly, the S600 had chain drive which was a primitive drivetrain system straight from motorcycle production. In 1967, Honda introduced the S800, an upgraded and more powerful version with a bigger 800 cc engine and 70 HP which was also available as a coupe.
The production was discontinued in 1970 after more than 22,000 of these Kei car roadsters and coupes were built. The car wasn’t initially popular on the American market, but today, it is sought-after by the collectors.