Gorgeous N-ONE RS that deserves its own post.
On the way to our second guest house up in Odawara, there sat a striking kei car standing out from the common white-on-white combo of most cars.
Closer inspection, its a Honda N-ONE RS. Its a good one, this.
Let’s start from the basics. The N-ONE is a kei-car, meaning tiny size and tiny motor to comply to strict kei-car class regulations. Most of them tend to be uninspiring, but the RS spec is here to deny that.
Its forbidden fruit of the new car world, and one that is overshadowed globally from cars such as Toyota GR86 or Honda Civic Type R – cars that work better in global markets, full stop.
What’s good about the N-ONE RS then? Do I see your eyes perk up when I tell you 6-speed manual transmission?
The N-ONE RS is the only trim available exclusively (and offered) with a manual transmission, although within kei-car regulations so still with a 660cc three-cylinder (S07B engine code), but strapped with a turbocharger.
The N-ONE RS comes with trim-exclusive bumpers, front grille and black accents on the exterior. Inside are uprated seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and sporty orange accents. That (driver) seat has since been replaced by a RECARO Sportster BK100.
The outside is done up just as well, with a set of VOLK Racing TE37s and a MUGEN front lip. The paint looks to be a custom job, complete with battle scars as indicated by several stone chips on the front lip and bumper.
I didn’t spend too much time with this car as for one, I probably look like I was planning to steal it. Though, if there is an opportunity, I ought to sample one. Someday should I ever return to Japan.
The N-ONE RS is amongst the few performance kei cars left available for sale. The Suzuki Alto Works seems to have been long discontinued, Honda’s S660 is been in the grave for a few years and there hasn’t been any peep from any other manufacturer.
Based on prevailing cars in Tokyo so far, the common sports cars have been the new Mazda MX-5, Toyota GR86, Subaru BRZ and Honda Civic Type R. The performance kei car has likely been mostly canned because buyers would rather opt into a bigger sports car – makes sense.
If the N-ONE can be done up this nicely with such a simple cosmetic do-over, just imagine what the stunning Super-ONE can be made into. That was answered in Tokyo Auto Salon 2026 months ago, but I leave you to work your imagination up with the production-ready one.
~Efini
Gallery:
Read more: NewCar: Honda Super-ONE EV
