1992 Honda Acty Van (Two of 'em)

Your American minivan is a land yacht compared to the Honda Acty. This vehicle has a 656 cc engine mounted in front of the rear axle. How small is that? Well, it's just over one-third the size of the engine in the Honda Gold Wing motorcycle. I spotted one of these Thursday afternoon and the next one Friday morning. This should give you an idea of the growing popularity of right-hand drive, made-for-Japan vehicles in Seattle. Because they don't meet American crash standards, they can only be imported once they're 25 years old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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1993 Honda Acty

Today wasn't the first time I've spotted a right-hand drive, made-for-Japan truck in daily use in Seattle. You can't buy a new small truck in this country. I would have taken more photos but I didn't want to draw the attention of the huge guys using it for their landscaping business. This truck does not meet American safety and emissions standards, but once a vehicle is 25-years old those rules don't apply. Note the tiny engine in this truck is forward of the rear axle.

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1991 Honda Acty - minitruck roundup

All of the big carmakers in Japan make this same truck: very small engine mounted forward of the rear axle under the bed, full-time 4-wheel drive, manual transmission. The Acty engine is 547 cc; an engine that size would not be considered large in a motorcycle. These trucks do not of course meet American standards for safety and emissions, but it's legal to drive vehicles on the street that don't meet those standards once they are 25 years old. The other two trucks below are a 1990 Mitsubishi Mini Cab with dump truck bed, and a circa-1990 Suzuki Carry 660.

 

   

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