Real Road Test: Honda N600 Hondamatic. Amazing engineering!

This was only Honda's second car design, but it was a revolutionary take on the Austin Mini, with an overhead cam transverse twin, automatic gearbox in the sump and a top speed approaching 80mph from just 600cc!
Find more about this car and its stablemates at jhwclassics.com or on their Facebook page.
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[@61chickens]

As a nine year old in 1970, I had wondered how my dad's ancient 50's Hillman Minx was going to get us from Sheffield to Southsea (270ish miles each way) for our family holiday (plus all the excursions in between). When he came home in a bright red N600 (rented) his plan became clear. Neighbours flocked from all over to openly laugh at it as we crammed in our luggage and expressed grave doubts that we'd ever return. But we had a great holiday, the little Honda thrummed along the motorway with our parents up front and me and my little sister on the back seat resting our feet on the luggage in the rear footwells. It never missed a beat the whole week and while most people I knew continued to sneer at Japanese cars for the next decade or so, I knew early on they were the future. When I learned to drive and passed my test 12 years later, it was in a Triumph Acclaim - oh the irony.... Thanks for the memories Ian, the sound alone brings it all back!

[@jammy_rex3038]

Great story Jez - thanks for sharing 👍

[@Ham.rigs07]

👍👍

[@nygelmiller5293]

To Jez Giantchicken. "The sound alone brings it all back?".You're so not kidding, only I think the 360 and 600 probably sounded a bit different. My dad, once he found out my car had a 360 engine asked: " Are you SURE Honda haven't put one of their Motorbike engines in it?". Then we realised he must be right! However, the suspension, although basic, was very comfortable. Leaf springs CAN be very comfortable -- if you know how to do them properly! (Also true on the Reliant Robin).

[@61chickens]

@@nygelmiller5293 Thanks Nygel, my dad would have appreciated your comment as he spent 15 years working in a leaf spring manufacturers!

[@redsorgum]

My friend had one of those Honda’s in high school, we had a large wind up key with a suction cup that we would stick on top of the car. And when we would stop at a red light, I would get out and act as if I was winding up the car.😉

[@beerlodge5153]

Massive Honda fan here. What makes this so great is Ian's joyous enthusiasm, really puts a smile on your face.

[@markgreenhow7953]

I bet British Leyland laughed their heads off at those. Look who's laughing now!

[@MyJon64]

Your right. As a young boy I remember adults looking at Japanese products, asking questions like "Does it work"

[@markgreenhow7953]

@@MyJon64 They did take a lot of ideas from us but they just kept moving things forward and never sat back and thought "job done" like we did!

[@zogworth]

@@markgreenhow7953 also incredibly strong unionisation in Japans auto manufacturers.

[@bonzobanana1]

Personally I feel the mini is a far better car if only they were as well built and reliable. What if that little Honda had the same engine but with 1 litre capacity, surely it would have been a little powerhouse although maybe then mpg would not have been competitive. I like the Honda but would still rather be driving a mini. I've owned 3 mini's in the past and they were great times with such a fun car.

[@seancooke4127]

@@markgreenhow7953 I was very young in the 70s but the general opinion that I took from listening to my Dad and the rest of the adults at the time was that Japanese cars were copies of original designs of the time. Copying someone else's idea was not considered to be the way to do things. What I saw was that those who started with Japanese stayed with Japanese and those who moved away from British makes to Japanese Makes did not go back.

[@jkk244]

When I was in high school back in the 1970s my friend had a N600 saloon and I had an Austin Mini. We used to go bombing around together- we made quite a scene driving two minuscule cars around our town the Midwestern United States.

[@jonathanfrankel6787]

When I lived in Montreal Canada, there was one guy who daily drove an original Mini. Among all the huge Escalades and Suburbans it looked so tiny and vulnerable .

[@twocvbloke]

That's one thing I love about older Hondas, manufacturers of the time turned out cars that were built with "That'll do" in mind, but Honda basically said "No, it won't, we will do it better!!!", and they did, so much innovation and clever engineering, coupled with reliability and quality, it's no wonder they became so big, and, as far as I'm aware, they have never been owned by another car manufacturer, which says something... :)

[@ArumesYT]

Wouldn't surprise me if the now popular term "hold my beer" originated from Honda. Just that gearbox... Compare it to what Smart came up with 30 years later.

[@nightvision1175]

And recently Honda has been voted as making the most reliable cars in the world. They did the study on several thousand cars all over 20 years old and Honda consistently had the fewest failures, and when they did they were consistently the cheapest and easiest to fix.

[@FM60260]

That gearbox runs better than some fitted to brand new buses today.

[@Teribus13]

Especially the junk from Voith!

[@owensteele1274]

@@Teribus13 Euro VI stop-start in particular. The gearboxes on all modern buses feel like they drop-out from underneath on every gearchange. All that banging and jolting, especially on the over-run going downhills. Absolutely horrendous!

[@fugawiaus]

There were thousands of these back in the day in Australia. The same with the Suzi 4x4.

[@owenshebbeare2999]

Yeah, but like the Mni it attracted morons in V8's wanting to intimidate.

[@graemewilson1400]

@@owenshebbeare2999 and 4x4 dual cab with a lift kit.....everyone has one in Oz these days I hate them they all have LED lights that shine straight into my outside RH mirror when sitting at lights. Grrrrrrr( sorry )

[@1966idc]

In 1986, I was given a lift from Boston to Norwalk Connecticut, about 170 miles, much of it on freeways with huge Mack trucks bombing past us, in one of those Hondas. It is probably the most vulnerable I have ever felt on the road, and I am a biker!

[@nygelmiller5293]

To Barnfish! You might have have felt EVEN more vulnerable, if you'd realised how that short back was, if anyone ran in to you. Did you realise that the boot lid was only PLASTIC? Again the Mini was a REAL car, with a REAL metal boot lid!

[@JohnSmith-pl2bk]

@@nygelmiller5293 Don't forget, the original Mini boot lid was held open by a couple of wire ropes so that a bale of hay could be carried...and the registration plate holder was on a pivot so the reg plate swung down to the vertical and could still be read by the Police while the boot lid was open...... Debatable whether a heavier metal boot lid was "better" than a plastic one....

[@keithschneidly3922]

@@nygelmiller5293 not seeing a difference between the poly and the metal lid in a wreck. The lighter weight might allow for it be pushed out of the way easier.

[@bcfairlie1]

THE smallest car that i can think of,to have a column change gearbox. Absolutely love it.

[@johnmiller9024]

Most kei cars with automatic gearboxes in the early years of automatic kei cars had a column gearchange

[@Ricketik65]

The Hondamatic in the Civic and Accord in the seventies and early eighties was a semi-automatic, so I'm surprised that this is fully automatic. Fabulous little car!

[@KiwiCatherineJemma]

The failure to mention that in the video was giving me the irits. I'm glad somebody pointed that out. I'm not sure if Mr Hubnut realised that.

[@johnmiller9024]

The semi automatic Hondamatic was also seen in the Mark I Prelude

[@martinloney6322]

We had one of the automatics as well as a manual. It was fully automatic and worked beautifully.

[@grayfool]

During the sixties and seventies my parents lived next door to the local Honda dealer owner. His wife always had the latest car. She had an N600, a Z coupe (remember them?), various Civics and whatever else was around. I always thought that they were cool even as an early teenager at the time.

[@bri77uk1]

Amazing little machine! Makes you wonder what could have happened had the BL and Honda joint venture deal happened 5 or 10 years earlier.

[@keiths314]

Stunning little cars. We had these in Zimbabwe in the 60s and they were much loved by owners there. Tough little machines. Thanks Hub Nut.

[@richardhewitt.easyvanlife.6957]

I’ve allways been a fan of Honda,as a motorcycle mechanic.every time I change cars I buy something else,then go back to Honda again.I have a early 1999 Honda HRV with CVT gearbox just so reliable never fails to start.

[@PurityVendetta]

Yes, I couldn't agree more. I have a real soft spot for the old sohc Hondas. When I worked as a motorcycle mechanic, although most Japanese manufacturers were very good, Honda just seemed better.

[@richardhewitt.easyvanlife.6957]

@@PurityVendetta your not Mikes daughter are you..

[@garrymartin6474]

I'm glad to see Noddy's car is safe and cared for. I noticed it in the background !

[@alastairqueen7973]

FIAT Gamine?

[@HubNut]

Correct.

[@captaccordion]

Hi Hubnut. Yes I remember these. They sold well in Australia as the Honda Scamp. I was a schoolkid at the time, and my recollection is that they were a vehicle of choice for female school teachers. Indeed, the Civic replaced them, the first Civic being a little rounder and more refined, but not much bigger. Cheers.

[@nygelmiller5293]

To Peter Anderson. Interesting that this car also had a proper name where you are! SCAMP. Sounds appropriate! In the 1980's they did one , the SC100 they also called the WHIZZKID. That was a proper rival to the Mini, with a 4- cylinder engine, at the BACK. Check this model out on the internet if you don't know it.Still one of the nicest looking cars ever! They had individual seats, that gripped you round corners, and were like a little sportscar!

[@stephenw2992]

I think the ones in Australia were mostly 360 engines. A friend had three Z360s in the 1990s saved from various paddocks, but I dont think he managed to get any going due to flogged out motors.

[@JohnSmith-pl2bk]

@@nygelmiller5293 www.carenthusiast.com/reviews/article/5952/-/1982-Suzuki-SC100+Whizzkid/Retro+drive.html

[@mikevale3620]

@@stephenw2992 The Scamps were generally 600cc's however there was a cheaper version with the 360cc. There was also the trendy 360cc 'Z' which came out around '72, then in '73 the Civics started and the Scamps tended to phase out about then.

[@jeremytaylor4458]

My first car was an N360! Rescued from an empty house and rebuilt by my Dad and me (40 years ago when I was 15). I never got to drive it on the road - for some reason my Dad gave it to my cousin who I think drove it into a grave in a field somewhere!

[@dlittlester]

Steve, a guy I worked with back in 70 - 71, had one of these. We went everywhere in it. His was a four speed with the gearshift coming out from the dash like a 2CV. Seems to me it wasn't synchronized. That little car could do 70 mph all day, and even being air cooled, the heater worked well. It met its end when Steve got tee-boned at an intersection.

[@martinloney6322]

The earlier ones had a non synchro box which was replaced by a synchro gearbox. We had a Hondamatic and a manual. Both fabulous.

[@arrangrant6037]

You really are spoiling us all lately with your superb content Ian 👍😎

[@RichieRouge206]

What a fabulous little car. I've always loved the engineering and history of Honda. That engine note is really appealing and I love it's enthusiastic buzz. Some clever engineering gone into the car too - that automatic transmission is amazing and it's lovely to see this on the road still. I love Minis but I'd rather have this. Definitely shared your enthusiasm with this one Ian!

[@tomoreilly9932]

You just want things to work in a car,and Honda just make things that work.👍🏻

[@richardsmith579]

A good friend of mine’s sister had one and she drove like a Belgian, because she was one. Her little car never put a wheel wrong and she loved it to bits.

[@christopherhunter2892]

I have always loved the Honda N600. Great sounding engine and looks a hoot to drive !

[@martinloney6322]

They were incredible fun. We had two.

[@volvo480]

Any little car with an air cooled engine has HubNut written all over it, but these remarkably clever engineered cars notch that up even more.

[@mattinieminen9826]

Less is more, suits here too with Soichiro's engineering🚗

[@richardjohnstone5659]

What fun. My dad had an N360. My wife and I drove it from Melbourne to Sydney and back for a friend’s New Years party. Hilarious!

[@graemewilson1400]

Huge drive in those days the Hume went on for ever

[@saggo1712]

My friend drove an N360 Sydney to Perth and back again.

[@graemewilson1400]

@@saggo1712 hahaha amazing what's that around 4000ks and not the best road back then.

[@saggo1712]

@@graemewilson1400 It was unsealed for quite a way back then.

[@jeroendesterke9739]

My brother still pulled an easy 75mph in his N600 in 1969. Insane for that time on Dutch / Belgian motorways.

[@jeanagarcia7652]

I owned one of these. Bought it around 1971 or 1972. My husband worked with a guy who bought it for his wife. She wouldn’t drive it because it was too small. We bought it for $1,100! It was originally sold by Robertson Honda in Hollywood who said it was “the first Honda 600 sold in Los Angeles.” They had sent it out to a custom car painter (I think it was called “Rembrandt), to do a “road map” green paint pattern on the white paint - very distinctive! My husband and I drove it everywhere, including several trips to the San Francisco Bay area. I loved that car, but when my husband passed in 1990 I sold it to a guy who drove down from Northern California to tow it home. I would love to find out what happened to it!

[@flemmingsorensen5470]

I think you need such a Honda in your life 😉👍🇯🇵

[@MyJon64]

I remember lady on my street having one of those little Hondas when I was a child in the 1970's. Her's was also a K reg and Red

[@pugmanick]

Lamborghini LM002 to Honda N600 - fascinating collection, very much to my tastes!

[@herbie53opf]

As a Samurai owner I'm already in love with the LJ. Edit: finished the video and I'm now in love with the little Honda aswell. You seem to genuinely enjoy it. I can see myself enjoying this dinky little car aswell.

[@robenglish416]

Just totally amazing! Have loved Honda since 1983 when my uncle bought a brand new Accord. He made at least 100 000 miles in it before the rust became too much!

[@PlainlyDifficult]

I would love to own one of these, sadly no space for one!

[@herrfister1477]

Uh huh

[@jon-paulgrainger1303]

Good seeing you here 👍

[@PabloSanchez-qu6ib]

You can keep it in the bedroom.

[@johncoops6897]

Perhaps a skateboard would be more suitable for you. ("no space for one" = what a silly comment)

[@happy_camper]

What a great little noise it makes through the revs!

[@NJ-76]

A beautiful car. If I knew more about maintaining it, I'd love to own one.

[@tonycox5625]

I remember seeing lots of these little Honda's around in the 70s, mostly orange, cute little cars.😊👍

[@simonbeasley989]

Love the car, and the review! I was under the impression that automatics generally used to sap that much power back then you needed a huge engine so that gearbox is pretty amazing, surprised it didn't become the standard technology. And love the fuel cap lever location as much as you do, so simple but so clever!!!

[@buttguy]

As a motorcycle enthusiast, I've always been a fan of Honda and their innovations, but it took me faaaar too long to truly appreciate them as a car manufacturer. The N600 is one of VERY few cars where I would most likely seek out the automatic specifically. To anybody who hasn't fully researched the history of Honda's car manufacturing, you should. It's a genuinely fascinating and inspiring series of events. As the proud owner of an automatic 1981 Civic Wagon I can vouch for their quality engineering and remarkable ability to make a car with under 70hp feel every bit as capable as anything else on the road.

[@AJT296]

Great video of a wonderful little car. I love the kei cars for their astonishing engineering and the fact that despite being based on such a tiny footprint to fit kei car regs there are so many different variations

[@promerops]

I, too, am a Honda enthusiast - bikes and cars. I reckon that one of these and an NSX would make a fine stable (oh, and of course, my beloved 400/4 of fond memory). Thanks for an excellent video.

[@neilwalsh4058]

Super interesting little car and so nice you brought one to us. A mates mum had an orange one in the late 70's, but I think that was a S800.

[@deltavee2]

What a gem of a machine! Loved them when they were new and even more so now.

[@static-audio]

I’ve never seen one that hasn’t got rust. Delightful!

[@KingOFuh]

I got my license in 11th grade in 1971 and this was the car I wanted. They were selling for about one more year before discontinued in the USA. Anyway, the mama and the papa said fuhgeddaboutit. Too small and dangerous. In 1982, I bought an avocado green 1972 Honda 600 Coupe, which had a lot of electrical problems but was the most fun car I ever drove.

[@Charlie_Crown]

Very interesting car that, wouldn't imagine there's many of them left, not only the UK but worldwide. A well thought-out car from an era where they thought things out, properly 👌

[@babsstevetillett600]

My wife and I bought a slightly used N600z. The hatchback model . It was a terrific car. We owned it in San Diego, California. On one occasion we drove it across the Grapevine into the Central Valley of California to see a classic motorcycle show. There were four adults in the car and it would do an indicated 70 mph. I sold it to buy the second series of Honda Civic with the CVCC engine. That was another great car . My wife and I drove it across the USA. I kept it for many years and it ,too, proved to be very reliable. Both cars had standard transmissions. If you could buy a new N600Z I would want to own one. I was always as happy driving the 600Z as you were driving this example of the N600. Thanks for a great video. It brought back a lot of fun memories.

[@saggo1712]

Watching again and remembering with great affection my 1969 Honda N600 Hondamatic. We had a manual one as well. They were brilliant and 75 mph plus was no problem believe me!

[@malcolmyoung7866]

Another 'Classic' HubNut episode..It's been a while Ian no idea why your videos dropped off my feed...probably got about 40 hours worth of HubNut to catch up on...Love early Honda's...CHEERS!!

[@stephenpointon]

My Dad bought a N360 , with the 360cc engine in 1978 and gave it to my sister and my brother in law as an engagement present. It blew a plug out of the head one night as my brother in law was taking my sister back to Cannock chase college one Sunday night...Very Hubnut.

[@peterriggall8409]

Would love to turn up at a car show in this. Absolutely magic. Lovely thanks Ian. That had me LOL.

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Great little car, looking forward to the Suzi video.

[@KarlAdamsAudio]

Squeeing with delight and nostalgia at this one - I have childhood memories of my brother's N600, which eventually became a restoration project with a couple of donor cars. I recall growing up in a household with bits of Honda Scamp just about everywhere, and that little twin was my childhood introduction to the inside of an internal combustion engine. With the head removed, the classic technique was to suspend the timing chain from the bonnet catch with a length of wire, so that it didn't drop into the sump (and possibly the gearbox) never to be seen again. To quote a certain someone - "Good Times!"

[@130rapid]

This engine is engineering marvel. I adore it's almost perfect, no-bounce & silent tickover. The huge contrast to jolty & noisy 50-70s Fiat 500/126 twin.

[@thestarmusic]

I had a Honda N600 in 1978/9 and it was an incredible little car, many nights out with 4 of us in it and it coped really well. One night we came out of the nightclub and a tyre was flat, changed it really fast by just picking it up. Three to lift and one to swop over the wheels, no need to mess around jacking it up.

[@nickc4518]

Absolutely love these. You can imagine driving one around Tokyo. Perfect little city car even now with the Hondamatic gearbox. Like a very jolly go kart.

[@WillieJu]

Cool little car that is ! - You smiling a lot !

[@johnmiller4973]

As an N600 owner I approve this road test

[@johnhyoutube]

I owned one of those, a manual box though, back in the 1980's. Wish I'd kept it!

[@cme2cau]

I would love to see a HubNut test of that LM002 I saw lurking downstairs.

[@seancooke4127]

Might be a problem if he had just stepped out of TWC or Ellie and opened up the throttle on a 2.5 ton 4x4 with a Countach engine.

[@cme2cau]

@@seancooke4127 nah, he probably drove the mighty 110hp C5!

[@seancooke4127]

@@cme2cau correct Man. Do you think he's going to get it remapped?

[@cme2cau]

@@seancooke4127 He so should! I have a C5 X7 with the 160 ps/340 Nm HDi 16 2l. I understand a remap can get the earlier engine close to this. Performance is more than adequate!

[@seancooke4127]

@@cme2cau sounds good alright. Very useful torque. My Brother bought a 2008 Vauxhall Vectra 1.9 Dti 150 earlier this year and he found a little box under the steering column and an instruction manual for a type of tuner along with the paper work. He reckons it's got closer to 175/180 bhp than the standard 150 bhp. It pulls like a steam train. Still returned 57.6 mpg for me on a 120 mile Motorway run last month.

[@pierrechristian6767]

My mum had a Honda 360 Scamp manual panel van, it was a fun car to drive, also it was her work car, she was a courier.

[@williamross2579]

Spot a VERY HAPPY MAN!!! That looked so much fun!

[@darrencox1749]

10:00 min mark, watching the grin develop on you face as you pull away in the little Honda. Lovely down to earth motoring vids. Can’t believe I’ve only just stumbled on your channel.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Another fantastic review and I remember seeing these on the streets when I was a kid in orange!!! I love your enthusiasm and seeing you get excited driving these delightful little cars. Now Mini or Honda?? Hmm Honda please!

[@Jaxs2]

Yep I can remember them knocking around in the 70s Orange for some reason it doesn't seem a bad car , although I have never had anything to do with one , fantastic to see one again great info Ian 👍

[@edwinblank58]

I like the wunderful engine. Honda is the largest engine builder in the world.

[@habsom1406]

Really enjoyed this video, probably as much as Ian did making it. When I was still in school in the 70's my friend would get dropped off by his dad in one of these diminutive Honda's, either a Z or an N, can't remember which. My friend went on to buy a Suzuki swift with the nippy 1.0 3 cylinder engine and digital dashboard which was very advanced for the time. My first car was a first generation 1974 Honda Civic 1169cc 4 speed manual which had a lovely sweet engine and smooth ride which was far better than it had a right to be. Watching this video I can see all the design elements which must have originated from the N600 like the top hinged boot lid to the wooden dash inlay. My Civic is long gone but I still have the scissor jack with the Honda logo still in tack, it is one of the best engineered scissor jack's I have ever encountered. Would love to watch you review one of the first generation mk1 Civics.

[@alanlansdell7533]

Always wanted to know what an n600 was like. Thanks young man.

[@jean-pierrejameselsener8595]

What a dainty little marvel that Honda is! Thanks for having shared Ian.

[@peterchildress7719]

Remember them years ago.your smile is like a child in a sweet shop.love it.🤗

[@stephenshippam9374]

Hi Ian, another interesting little car and a great road test, can't wait to see the next one,

[@The-Rectifier]

Love this little N series Honda. My Auntie did drove a 600 Hondamatic in 1970, she trade it in for a light blue,Civic Hondamatic at the Motorfair in Brussels ( 1972). Ungelievable but true...she ( my Auntie )did go on Holliday to Austria, in that small N600. I still wondered how that poor tiny engine could coop with her driving styl. Cos...she drove it if it was stolen. Remarkable fun times we had in the passenger seat 😂

[@akr01364]

God, I almost forgot what Ian looked like when not grumbling on the floor under a car. Lol

[@Odnet001]

I used to deliver Newspapers in a little Suzuki like this one. Great fun but lots of smoke. I also had my eye on a Honda N600 at a house I delivered to, but the guy would never sell it. Ahhh Memories ☺️

[@theaylesburycyclist8756]

What a gorgeous little car.! 😍

[@xqqqme]

BTW, another element to the story of Honda's CVCC technology (and also showing the "very, very Honda" way) was when their 4-cyl engine met the then-upcoming federal emissions limits here in the U.S., GM's response was, essentially, "Yeah, but that works only on those small-displacement engines" (it's worth noting that the U.S. Big 3 had all been whining that these new emission limits were impossible to meet, would destroy the industry, etc). With that, Honda quietly bought a new Chevy 350 c.i. V-8, designed and made CVCC cylinder heads for the engine...and submitted it to the EPA for testing. It passed. Easily. In fact, I think it was cleaner than Chevy's own engine. Fact is, GM didn't want to invest in new heads and, like Ford and Chrysler, were counting on being able to just clean up the downstream mess with add-on catalytic converters.

[@EdFrankes]

I've never really had a thing for Honda, to be honest. I like them, but never really had the urge to own one. But this.... this is pure gold. I think i'm in love.... The sounds it makes, the wonderfull gearbox, the styling inside and out, i love it!

[@petersente83]

What an enthusiastic review of a wonderful little car! I've been interested in Honda cars for a long time, but only started driving them a few years ago (1987 Accord Aerodeck 2.0i, 2006 Accord 2.0 and now the new Jazz Hybrid). I'm hooked, probably for life. Their in-house development of unique engineering solutions still set them apart from other brands. And despite this, they are still a major global brand without being part of a large (originality-killing) automotive group. Both thumbs up :)

[@tonybhogal8112]

Love these little Kei cars, they should be a thing here too

[@martinneumann7783]

Buy a Toyota Aygo/Citroën C1/Peugeot 107 and you are close to it! 🚗

[@standingbadger]

You could get one imported via the likes of Torque GT in Devon 👍🏼 (No, I don’t work for them!)

[@Astonvanquishs]

What a lovely video!!! You made me fall in love with this little car!!! well done Ian!!!

[@Hobotraveler82]

Honda had a T360 pickup that came with the world's smallest four cylinder engine. 356 cc, 9K rev limiter and four single barrel carbs. I read it in an article in hotcars online. These kind of cars always fascinated me. Cant wait for the LJ50 vid. So cool. 😊

[@samkaur4098]

What a great looking honda.Great video IAN as always.

[@davidrumming4734]

As a Honda driver, I love this little car….never seen one before. Amazing for such a small automatic car. If I were older and had worked at BL in U.K. and seen one of these, I would have taken it as a warning “we are coming after you!”

[@eefjuh5533]

Your passion made this a real drive along experience in this lovely little car thats in a class of it's own. Thank you.

[@Bowerprods2011]

I love how the latest videos have got a little bit more polish I love it

[@OrnumCR]

Magic little beast. I had an N360. Great fun.

[@lmlmd2714]

The Honda 600 looks so much more refined than the mini of the era. Love that interior and the auto! No one does city cars better than the Japanese manufacturers - absolutely love them :)

[@daniellee9015]

Brilliant video Ian 👍 lovely little car

[@cornishhh]

I had a 360cc manual in Australia; it was called a Scamp there. A nice little car; rather like a slightly noisier Mini. No synchromesh on the gears so you usually got a bit of a clonk or grind. The timing chain wore a hole in the cylinder head so I scrapped it. They were worth nothing in the mid 80's.

[@tedburnard841]

A mate of mine had a Scamp as his first car in 1971 here in Adelaide. I think it was the later sportier Z that was used in the movie Malcolm.

[@effyleven]

We had one of these back in the day. It was the manual version. It handled motorway speeds with no trouble, and we often used it four-up. We also bought a tow-bar and fitted it ourselves... Yep! We pulled a Mirror dinghy around on a home-made trailer. The wheels of the N600 were same size as the Mini, and so I built the trailer with second-hand Mini wheels in order to use the same tyres.

[@davidfoster1762]

A first today. I chuckled , with admiration, at a fuel filler cap !

[@KiwiStag74]

A friend of mine had a Honda N360 (manual) when I had an Austin A35. Being the 'big block' 948cc, I challenged him to a drag race. No prize for guessing who won THAT one and I was an instant convert. The gear changing action was very strange and was almost a wrist twist than a genuine throw of the lever, but she was a quick little car (respectively). I sat in the back of it on one trip (of about 40 miles from his place to mine) and when I say 'sat in the back', my feet were up on the other half of the seat, I had my knees bent and was leaning against the side of the car. Not something I'd be happy to repeat now as I was a stick figure then and this has not followed me into middle age in the least! Still love seeing them and will always go look at any I see parked. Fascinating little car. We were working on the cooling system of another friend's Cortina and asked him to nip over to the N360 and get the radiator cap for us to use. Every time he asked where it was, we told him it would be on the radiator. Took him about 10 minutes to work out we'd been pulling his leg....

[@stephenswift9868]

What a little charmer! I’ve always liked these. All the car you need! (mostly)

[@ben2e0omr]

It's a Mini running on Sushi. Great video Ian. Super little car.

[@MarktheOddJob]

I had one of these 35 years ago when I was 17. It had a manual gearbox and loved to rev. It was way more advanced than the mini. Macpherson strut front suspension, front discs etc. The boot lid was plastic to save weight. I'm ashamed to admit that I grasstrack banger raced it and it did a full season despite rolling it 5 times, 2 of them end over end. It then did the end of year demolition derby and came 3rd! It did burn a lot of oil as the loose timing chain had worn a hole in the front of the engine and then threw the oil onto the downpipes. Loved the little car. All I have left of it is one photo and the badge off the grill.

[@brianfd622]

Brilliant, loved you're enjoyment

[@bimmerwman]

Ian this is a fantastic video. Very interesting cars!!

[@alltherestofit8109]

Great video Ian of a lovely little vehicle. As a biker who has owned over 15 Hondas I can totally relate to the vibe you get from Honda's engineering. By the way you can get geared automatic mopeds. My first bike was a 1982 Honda C50 LAG Cub which had a 3 speed automatic unit. It was capable of 42 mph which is quite fast when you are 16!

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

I'm absolutely delighted to see you out and about again, reviewing such great cars.