1971 Honda N600

I've never seen one of these before, not even in a museum. The N600 was the first Honda imported into the US. According to californiaclassix.com, "Informed sources claim that of the circa 35,000 Honda N600s sold in North America, there are fewer than 1,000 extant, and most of those do not run." The N600 was succeeded by the slightly sportier Z600 (I've never seen one of those on the street before either). Then in 1973 the first Honda Civic arrived, and the rest is history.

You have to stand next to this car to appreciate how truly tiny it is. Then engine is 598cc (hence the model name '600'). In today's dollars, this car cost about $9,700.

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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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Time Travel Photos: '69 Ford F100, '80 Datsun 210, '87 Mazda B2000, '87 Honda Civic, '64 Ford F100

Time travel with me!

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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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