A very special S800

Posted by John Mellberg August 01, 2021

A very special S800

Founded by Junichi Ando in 1990 in Gotemba City, Japan, Boomerang is a boutique design and prototyping business. Its main services are the production of custom prototypes, modified cars, custom parts, carbon fiber, glass fiber panels, parts casting, electroplating, model making, and tool manufacture. Over the last 30 years the firm has produced a variety of concept cars, largely unseen outside of Japan.

In 1995, Boomerang partnered with noted tuner and racecar builder Garage Suzuki to build a lightweight and aerodynamic sports car based on the mechanicals of a 1967 Honda S800. Inspirations for the car's design included the Alfa Romeo Canguro, Ferrari 250 LM, Ford GT 40, and Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe. The final design featured curvaceous bodywork, a steeply raked windshield, with a Kamm-back tail. It was penned by Ando himself, reportedly.

The Garage Suzuki Special S800 Coupe

The car also featured a composite monocoque chassis, fiberglass body, bespoke suspension components, a centrally located fuel cell and battery, and the S800's AS800E engine, mounted longitudinally in a front-mid position within the chassis. The front and rear tires used on the prototype were all Bridgestone tires measuring 185/60R13. Side beams and rear windows were fixed with rivets. The whole package would end up weighing 1200lbs, less than its already featherweight donor. The prototype employed an 850cc version of the S800 motor, mated to a 5-speed gearbox.

The ethos behind the car was to make a light, dynamic handling track toy in the vein of vintage Lotus Sevens or Elans. Despite the modest running gear, its svelte construction made for a favorable power to weight ratio, giving the car very spirited performance. This would be very much in keeping with the original Honda's intentions.

The Garage Suzuki Special S800 Coupe in profile

The Garage Suzuki Special S800 Coupe, also known as BRG 303, made its debut on December 1st, 1996 at the Honda Twin-Cam Club party held at Suzuka Circuit. The original Honda S500 had been introduced 34 years earlier so the introductory appearance at this event seemed fitting. The car was later shown at the Boomerang show stand of the '96 Nagoya Auto Show.

At the inception of the project a small run of roughly a dozen examples of the car were planned. It was rumored that several were already on order to UK buyers after the car's introduction. Each car would be built to client specifications with options including a "double-bubble" roof and a "Barchetta", open-top version. However this was not to be.

Tragically, Garage Suzuki’s president, Nobuyuki Suzuki passed away during the process of developing this promising car, ultimately leading to the cancellation of the project and leaving just one completed prototype built.

Sources:
Automobiles Japonaises
Vasileios Papaidis / Historic Auto Pro