Small Size, Big Fun

The Japanese Mini! This little N600 is fun to drive and will turn heads wherever you go. Coming from one of the country’s foremost Japanese car collectors, who purchased it for his personal collection with just over 11,000 miles, after a long search for the best example he could find. This low mileage outstanding example might be the best you will ever have the opportunity to purchase. This car comes with substantial documentation and a significant assortment of spare parts. The odometer reads 12,006, which is believed to be the original mileage.

This Car’s Past

Not much is known about the history of this N600 prior to the current owner’s purchase from Bridgewater Acura in 2013. Bridgewater had taken the car in on trade in 2012 from a NJ based Honda/Acura mechanic who owned it and had restored it with NOS parts. There are ample spare parts and documentation supporting this restoration. Bridgewater subsequently had this crowd pleaser on display in their service department waiting area. The current owner made reference to looking for a great N600 on an NSX forum and was told about this car by fellow NSX enthusiast and manager of the Acura dealership. It has been in the care of an avid Japanese car enthusiast and JDM expert ever since.

“When they're working right, they're fantastic. I have a customer driving his from Florida to me here in California next week.”
Tim Mings of Merciless Mings

History of the Model

The main export market for the N-series was the United States. The Honda N600 was the first Honda car to be officially imported into the United States as the S-series small sports cars were only privately imported. Honda of North America initially sold the N600 through its motorcycle retail network. The US customer was not used to small cars. Very large rear wheel drive cars populated American highways. The smallest cars sold were the Ford Pinto, Chevrolet Vega and the VW Beetle. All of these cars were longer then 4 meters, while the N600 barely exceeded 3 meters. Americans already regarded a car such as the Ford Maverick as a compact car, even though it had a length of 4.70 meters. The Honda N600 was more or less a class of its own. Honda decided to target young Americans wanting to upgrade from their C100 Super Cubs. The N600 had a price tag of $1,395 when it was launched, making it very affordable. In 1972 Honda could not sell the N600 anymore as the exemption from emission standards for sub-800cc cars was abolished. New rules for bumpers would have also increased weight and costs.

Restoration or Preservation History

This N600 is in exceptional mechanical and cosmetic condition. It has been fully restored and recently sorted, including a new head gasket and tires. Receipts and additional spare parts accompany this purchase.

Market Trend / Comparative Analysis

Japanese cars have experienced an enthusiastic surge in value in recent years, sparked by high profile sales of the rarest high value performance breeds. The surge has carried the lower priced models of vintage Hondas, Toyotas and Nissans (Datsuns) into a new era of collectability for cars from the Land of the Rising Sun. It’s not easy to find a Honda N600 restored to this level and even more difficult to find one with comparable mileage. The highest recorded sale for this Make and Model was the $23,000 paid for a nicely restored car from the Bruce Weiner Collection in Feb 2013, which was preceded in Jan 2012 by another very nice example that brought $17,490.

Summary

This is a wonderful opportunity to purchase a vintage Japanese micro car. Rarely seen in this condition and restored to this standard, this little beauty is ready to roll and will prove to be big fun for its next owner. Available here at NO RESERVE!