The Honda Beat is a kei car produced by the Japanese company Honda from May 1991 until February 1996. It is a two-seater roadster with a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. It was the last car to be approved by Soichiro Honda, before he died in 1991. In total around 33,600 were made, with roughly two-thirds of these built in the first year of production. The design of the car originated from Pininfarina, who then sold the design plan to Honda. The Honda Beat was one of many cars designed to take advantage of Japan's tax-efficient kei car class.
History
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There were two mainstream models of the Beat (the PP1–100 and the PP1–110) and a couple of limited edition versions. Variations on the first model were just cosmetic updates. Only the second model had any real mechanical differences. All cars were offered with the option of a driver-side airbag. The car was marketed by Honda as "Midship Amusement" and was sold exclusively in Japan, at Honda Primo dealership sales channels.
In typical Honda fashion, the Beat's engine did not utilize a turbocharger or supercharger. The engine was modified with the MTREC (Multi Throttle Responsive Engine Control) system, with individual throttle bodies for each of the three cylinders, to produce at 8,100 rpm with an electronically-limited top speed of 135 km/h (84 mph). Only a 5-speed manual transmission was available. The MTREC design would filter down to the 1993 Honda Today kei car. The Beat was the first kei car to feature disc brakes on all four wheels.