1971 Honda N600 Coupe w/ Sunroof

Local collector owned, restored in 2022 by microcar specialist, rag top sliding sunroof, alloy wheels, custom touches.

Introducing Honda’s first production vehicle for the US, the N600. In 1969 Honda started the export of the N600 to Hawaii, followed by exports to the West Coast states in 1970. The Honda N600 was the first Honda car to be officially imported into the United States and were initially sold through its motorcycle retail network. The N600 weighs in at just 1300 pounds and has a 45HP, 598cc air-cooled, SOHC parallel-twin motor paired to a 4-Speed manual gearbox. The US customer was not used to small cars as American highways were populated by very large rear wheel drive cars at the time period. The smallest cars sold were the Ford Pinto, Chevrolet Vega and the VW Beetle. All of these cars were longer then 4 meters, while the N600 barely exceeded 3 meters. Americans already regarded a car such as the Ford Maverick as a compact car, even though it had a length of 4.70 meters.

The Honda N600 was more or less in a class of its own. Honda decided to target young Americans wanting to upgrade from their C100 Super Cub motorcycles. The N600 had a price tag of $1,395 dollars when it was launched, making it very affordable. The N600 had a 6.9 gallon fuel tank and could achieve 31mpg which was outstanding for its day as the fuel crisis would come into full swing a few short years later.

This 1971 N600 is believed to originally be a euro-spec model and was restored in 2022 by a microcar specialist here in the Northwest. The car is said to have come from California prior and benefited from a complete bare-shell refurbishment. The engine was overbored with a reground camshaft and .050″-oversized pistons when it was rebuilt along with the gearbox, brake master cylinder and calipers by a 600 specialty shop in North Carolina. All new suspension was fitted and the car was lowered slightly. A custom front air dam was fabricated and the rear valance was modified with a center exhaust outlet. Custom bumpers were installed along with a new sliding canvas sunroof, Japanese-spec tail lights, H4 headlamps, and custom front turn signals that give this car a more sporting look. Inside custom yellow plaid upholstery has been installed which compliments the exterior color nicely. The 10-inch star design alloy wheels are another neat touch and are mounted to front disk brakes up front and drums in the rear.

This is a fun to drive small car that speaks back to a simpler time and is great to buzz around town in and will generate many smiles and thumbs up when you drive by, it also sparks many conversations when parked and will gather crowds and any car show you take it to.