If you want to know what peak JDM tuning looks like, look no further than Mat Watson's latest obsession. The automotive presenter recently imported a tiny, mid-engined Honda S660—often affectionately called the "baby NSX"—to launch his new Japanese import business.But leaving a legendary JDM Kei car stock is practically a crime. So, to test the waters for future customers, Watson just dropped a small fortune on high-end tuning parts."I'm going to use my very own Honda S660 as a test bed by fitting this car, which actually cost me £11,000 with over £20,000 worth of upgrades," Watson revealed to his viewers, questioning his own financial sanity.AdvertisementAdvertisementHis ultimate goal? "The idea is to turn this little car into a genuine baby NSX".Now to execute this insane £31,000 build, Watson took the Kei car to the JDM experts at Torque GT. They devised a two-pronged attack using parts from some of Japan's most legendary tuning houses.Torque GT's Morgan explained the strategy: "With HKS, we focus more on, like, the power and performance". That meant throwing out the restrictive factory components and installing a larger HKS turbo, an upgraded intercooler, a high-flow catalytic converter, and a custom air intake.However, raw power is useless without handling. "Spoon Sports is all about balance and refinement," Morgan added. To ensure the mid-engine chassis could handle the extra boost, the team bolted up aggressive Spoon chassis bracing, uprated suspension, and a massive big brake caliper kit to transform the soft factory ride into a rigid track weapon.A 50% Power Bump on the DynoThe Honda S660 is notoriously restricted from the factory to meet strict Japanese Kei car regulations, which legally cap horsepower at 63. During the baseline dyno run, the unmodified car managed to push out slightly more than Honda's official numbers, sitting at "79 horsepower and 90 foot-pounds of torque".AdvertisementAdvertisementAfter ripping apart the cramped engine bay and installing the massive HKS power upgrades, the tiny 660cc engine roared back to life with a completely new attitude. The final dyno results were staggering for a car that weighs less than 1,900 pounds."We're now at 120 horsepower and 123 foot-pounds of torque," Watson celebrated. Instead of running out of breath at 4,500 RPM like the factory tune, the heavily upgraded S660 now pulls all the way to a screaming 7,000 RPM peak aggressively.Hitting the Drag StripTo prove the £20,000 investment actually paid off on the tarmac, Watson put the tuned S660 through its paces.The stock S660 was painfully slow, logging a 0-60 mph time of 11.24 seconds and an 18.5-second quarter-mile. But with 120 horsepower, sticky tires, and a Darth Vader-esque turbo spool noise, the baby NSX became a completely different animal."To 60 in 8.28 seconds, that's better," Watson yelled from the driver's seat as he launched the upgraded car down the strip. The quarter-mile time also plummeted, crossing the line in a highly respectable "16.36 seconds- wow, definitely quicker".AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile dumping £20,000 into an £11,000 Kei car might not make financial sense to everyone, Watson just proved that the Honda S660 platform is an absolute monster waiting to be unleashed.
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