Roots
1972 Honda Z600:
This Honda Asks The Civic, "Who's Your Daddy?!"If ever there was a car worthy of a profile in 2NR's Roots section, it's Honda's Z600. Love it or hate it, the Civic is the single most identifiable car with the import scene, and this little guy is its predecessor. Produced from 1970-1972 (just before the Civic's introduction in 1973), the Z600 was actually a coupe variant of Honda's first automobile exported to the states: the N600. As such, it's sometimes called the Honda 600 Coupe, or Honda Z360 (the N600 was sold as the N360 in its early years).
The Z600 was designed and built to Japanese kei car specs, which meant it was absolutely tiny by American standards. Wheelbase was 78.7 inches, and the car measured just under 118 inches, bumper to bumper. By comparison, an EF hatch measures in at 156.1 inches, bumper to bumper, with a 98.4-inch wheelbase. And its 1,300-pound curb-weight is even more indicative of small stature; an EP3 Civic weighs more than twice what a Z600 does. Contributing to its light weight is an equally small engine. Japanese law mandated kei car engines of the day be limited in size to only 0.36 liters of displacement, so JDM Z600's rocked an air-cooled, 354cc two-cylinder engine. Americans lucked out with a 598cc, air-cooled inline-two that brought a little more horsepower-36, to be exact, in total. The good news? How about an overhead cam, 9,000 rpm redline, and 100-plus mpg fuel efficiency when driven lightly (as much as 136 mpg, according to one source)? And let's not forget the synchromesh four-speed manual trans-featuring smoother shifting than many high-dollar cars of the day. The Z600 could reach 75 mph without a problem, but how long it took to accelerate to that speed is anyone's guess; ours is no one had the patience to find out.
Equally dualistic are the Z600's footworks: front-independent, coilover-shock suspension and power-assisted disc brakes? Great. Rear beam axle, leaf springs, and drum brakes? ...Not so much. The interior was billed as "luxurious", but is laughable by today's standards; the Z600 advertised seating for four, but the rear seats were typically regarded as "kid seats". A radio was available, as was an adjustable antenna and a tachometer, but not too much else.
Honda estimates as many as 15,500 Z600 coupes reached our shores (officially coded "AZ600"), the first 600 of which were sold exclusively in Hawaii-and came equipped with 20 percent more power, thanks to a more aggressive camshaft and freer-flowing carburetor. Best estimates put remaining AZ600s at fewer than 300, and the chance of finding one roaming U.S. streets is slim to none. With an original MSRP of $1,800, a properly maintained Z600 will have more than tripled in value today. Our search turned up only one car on the market: a '72 in excellent condition on eBay, with a current high bid of over $5,000, and a reserve not yet met.www.honda600source.com