1995 Honda SSM (Pininfarina)

Honda proudly displayed a new sports car concept called the SSM (Sport Study Model) during the 1996 Chicago extravaganzous. Power to the rear wheels was supplied by the front-mounted, 2-liter, twin-cam 5-cylinder VTEC engine. The 2-seat cockpit had wraparound instrument cluster, contoured bucket seats, and body-colored roll bars. Importantly, the SSM roadster predicted the shape of the future (2000) Honda S2000 production model.

SSM stood for Sports Study Model, and this interesting 1995 show car was widely expected to enter production in modified form. It used NSX-style aluminum construction and ensured sharp handling through its front-engine/rear-drive layout: Honda claimed a perfect 50/50 weight distribution front-to-rear. One novel feature on the car was a central “spur”, which separated the driver’s and passenger’s compartments and was claimed to improve rigidity significantly.

The SSM’s power was supplied by a 2.0-litre five-cylinder VTEC engine, driving through a new electronic sequential-shift automatic gearbox derived from that in the NSX. The instrument pack was an LCD display with a card-style ignition system and push-button starter.