Fastest Honda in the world has 660cc three-cylinder engine

The Honda S Dream Streamliner has recently set the world record for the fastest Honda car yet, achieving a speed of almost 262mph.

Even more remarkable than the car’s top speed and status as the fastest Honda oever is its engine; it’s powered by a different version of the 660cc three-cylinder unit found in the S660 compact sports car.

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Honda said the brief for setting the record was to achieve the world speed record with that particular engine, which it did, achieving the FIA world record across one mile and one kilometre for its Category A, Group 1, Class 4 type.

The record was set at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

Honda’s team behind the record run, which comprised 16 young Honda engineers picked from a pool of 100 in 2015, managed to eke out more than three times the power for which the engine was designed to withstand - around 190bhp - although many components were upgraded, including the cylinder block, pistons, crankshaft and valves, to achieve the power figure. Honda is yet to disclose the exact power figure the engineers achieved.

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The car was also built to withstand the speed, which surpasses the top speed of the Bugatti Chiron by 1mph, and the Honda NSX by 71mph. This was achieved with rigidity structures that were tested in Japan ahead of the record attempt. In one of the record runs, 266mph was achieved, although that speed couldn’t be officially counted as it wasn’t reached again.

The previous record for the fastest Honda on the planet was held by a de-winged, V10-engined BAR Honda F1 car, which took the record back in 2006, with a top speed of 247mph over one mile and one kilometre runs.

A record attempt with a larger engine in place of the 660cc three-cylinder is not planned, although the advancements made in engineering the car's engine are very likely to make it onto future Honda road cars.