Kiyotaka and his Honda Beat

VOTE FOR KIYOTATA’S BEAT TO WIN THE 2023 HALTECH HERO OF THE YEAR HERE

We don't believe there is a car that doesn't look great in classic Gulf livery, and Kiyotaka Nakajima's 1993 Honda Beat is no exception, but this 660cc kei-car from Japan isn't all about looks - Just like a ninja's shuriken, this little weapon is small, light, and fast! 

Kiyotaka picked up his JDM Honda Beat from a friend about seven years ago. Originally he wanted to use it for Initial D-type mountain runs around his home prefecture of Nagano, but since the customising bug bit, he’s also been taking it to more events and car shows, where it certainly turns heads.

When we say the customising bug bit, we mean it, there isn’t a lot that is still stock on this micro machine. The whole exterior is basically a Mugen catalogue. Including the front bumper, side skirts, rear bumper, and wing. The only exception is the front splitter, which is a BW Japan unit.

Mugen also supplied a fair number of interior components, from the four-point roll cage to the billet shift knob, and the steering wheel, which also houses a C’s Customizing billet horn delete. Keeping Kiyotaka and his lucky passenger firmly in place as they hit the togue are a set of Esqueleto bucket seats, and Status Racing harnesses.

And by all accounts, the little Beat should be a fairly fun thing to drive on those twisty mountain roads, because Kiyotaka has also worked at upping the output of the Honda’s feisty 660cc engine a little. The diminutive donk has been treated to a Power Service Imazu high compression 11:1 piston kit, and a 272° camshaft, also from Power Service Imazu. The heads have received some porting and polishing, and have been fitted with RS Mach titanium valve retainers. A Back Yard Special 3-1 exhaust manifold and Mugen exhaust ensure the spent gasses are exiting as efficiently as possible.

Kiyotaka was originally running a factory ECU with a flash tune, but had trouble getting it to run and idle properly. That’s when he took the Beat to Haltech specialist Impact ltd Japan “VANQUISH Osaka”, who modified a Haltech universal harness to connect an Elite 550 with the factory engine connectors and then tuned it to suit.

“The idle was not smooth, and the settings were just not right – I wanted to change to something better, and after doing all sorts of research I thought well, Haltech is the one, isn’t it? So I went to Impact to have the Haltech ECU installed. Impacts’ harness plugs straight into the factory connectors.”

“Impact modified the Haltech base map and considering the cams and pistons have changed, it drives like a normal car. I only really drive it to events, and under these conditions, it is running really well.”

“Compared to the reflashed factory ECU things like the idle are really stable, so my conclusion is that Haltech is really smart. I’m really feeling it with this car, now I want to get more tuning done to make it exactly right for this engine. I want to make it perform even better!”

Of course, the beast of a Beat needed a few more upgrades to make sure all that extra power could get to the road. To that end, an Exedy Ultra Fiber clutch disc has been fitted, as has a Cusco Type RS 1.5-way LSD. And making sure the fiesty little kei-car stays on the road is an upgraded wheel and suspension package featuring 4-wheel independent air suspension and 13-inch Rays Volk Racing TE37s shod with Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS tyres.