The diminutive Honda N600 was the first automobile officially sold in the United States by the Japanese company, arriving in 1969 as a 1970 model, and it seemed weird at the time since the Honda name had become so indelibly associated with motorcycles.
So they became known as Honda cars and because of their tiny size and 600cc engines, were seen more as oddities than actual automobiles, like the bigger and better-established Datsuns and Toyotas of the time. The N600 was the small start of something big, however, as Honda’s popularity took off with its next generation of cars imported to the U.S. and the Civic nameplate that’s still with us.
The Honda N600 is the kind of quirky craft targeted by today’s collectors of little cars, many of whom gather every year in Pacific Grove, California, for the Little Car Show held during Monterey Car Week.
The Pick of the Day is a great-looking example of a 1971 Honda N600, that has undergone a “nut-and-bolt restoration with no expense spared,” according to the Gladstone, Oregon, dealer advertising the car on ClassicCars.com.
“Equipped with its original inline two-cylinder 600cc air-cooled engine, runs and drives excellent with no issues,” the seller says in the ad. “Painted in a high-quality Candy Apple Red paint job to show-quality standards.
“The stainless and chrome are all just like how it came from the factory. Equipped with disc brakes in the front, brand new wheels and tires, and custom rag top.”
This would be such a fun car for tooling around town, sort of along the lines of a Fiat 500 – like Saturday’s Pick of the Day – or a Citroen 2CV, not going real fast or real far but enjoying the eye-catching style and novelty of the Honda N600, which was imported to the US for only three model years, 1970-72.
The photos show that the wee Honda is in immaculate condition and apparently in perfect running order as well.
“The interior was also restored and still presents very well with clean upholstery, matching door panels and a crack-free dash,” the seller notes. “All lights, gauges, switches and controls work properly.”
The asking price for this rare piece of Japanese car culture is $18,500.
To view this vehicle on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
The Link LonkFebruary 21, 2021 at 03:05PM
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Pick of the Day: Rare, tiny 1971 Honda N600, fully restored - The ClassicCars.com Journal
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