One of the hardest parts about being a car enthusiast is yearning for a car that you cannot have. What car is your forbidden fruit?
Cars can be forbidden for a number of reasons. Maybe you can’t have it because it was never sold in your country and is illegal to import. Maybe it’s just financially too far out of reach for any regular mortal. Or maybe you have bills and responsibilities.
My forbidden fruit is the Honda S660. This little kei-class roadster is Honda’s modern take on its classic tiny roadsters like the Beat and the S500. Like the Honda Beat, the S660 features a mid-rear engine layout driving the rear wheels. That 658cc turbo three is good for 63 ponies, which is transmitted through a manual transmission. It has similar performance specs as the old Beat, but in a sleek, modern body.
Unfortunately, there is one pretty big issue in the way of getting one: the oldest S660s were built in 2015, making them ineligible for importation to the U.S. until at least 2040. That’s a long wait.
I could easily buy one in an auction today and have it shipped to America, but Customs wouldn’t be very happy to see it show up. Likewise, the importers and exporters that helped me with my Beat and Suzuki Every imports have informed me that getting a “Show or Display” exemption for a S660 would be prohibitively expensive and there’s no guarantee that it would be granted.
So the S660 is a car I can only dream of for the next 19 years.
What car is your forbidden fruit?