First Honda car to hit US goes under the hammer
What's the story
The first Honda car to officially hit the US market was a tiny yellow sedan called the N600. It is now up for auction. Honda started selling a production version for the 1970 model year. It was smaller than a first-generation Honda Civic and had a two-cylinder engine with dimensions similar to those of an original Mini. The N600 was not just any car; it was part of Soichiro Honda's vision to expand his successful motorcycle business into four-wheeled vehicles.
Market introduction
The N600 was a loyalty test for Honda dealers
The N600 was not Honda's first four-wheeled vehicle in North America.
There were a few S600 coupes and roadsters that were privately imported into the US and hundreds sold in Canada through motorcycle dealerships.
However, the N600 marked Honda's first official factory-supported effort in the US market.
It was a loyalty test for existing Honda dealers who wanted to add this new model to their lineup.
Market influence
N600 was about the size of an original Austin Mini
The N600 was a small car, about the size of an original Austin Mini. However, its impact on the US market was huge, thanks to people's familiarity with Honda motorcycles.
The company had already been selling the N360 in Japan under kei-car rules but knew that its tiny two-cylinder engine wouldn't work on US interstates.
So, they put a 600cc parallel-twin engine into 50 prototypes and shipped them across the Pacific for testing in different climates.
Vehicle features
Auction ends on September 30
The 1971 Honda N600, which is now up for auction, features a friendly face and a sunny Spring Yellow exterior with a black vinyl interior.
The car's two-cylinder engine was factory-rated at 35hp.
This particular model has been fitted with a newly rebuilt engine and comes with a four-speed manual transmission.
The auction for this piece of Honda history ends on September 30.