BF Exclusive: 1972 Honda Z600 Coupe

Asking: $7,000Make An Offer

  • Seller: Perry W right (Contact)
  • Location: La Mesa, California
  • Mileage: 94,031 Shown
  • Chassis #: AZ6001012094
  • Title Status: Clean
  • Engine: 2-Cylinder Air-Cooled
  • Transmission: 4-Speed Manual

One of the most unique Kei cars to roll out of Japan in the 1970s is the Honda Z-series. Starting with the smaller Z360 – about five inches longer than a Subaru 360 but with much better engineering – and in North America, we got the more powerful Z600. The Z600 is physically the same size as the Z360 (10 feet) but has a bigger 598cc engine. This 1972 Honda Z600 Coupe is located in beautiful La Mesa, California, and the seller has it listed here on Barn Finds! 

This is the Honda Z600 as seen while standing next to it. No, they’re small, but not that small. It’s a unique viewpoint, for sure. Honda made the Z600 from 1970 through 1974, but we only got them until the 1972 model year, and, as mentioned, only in the bigger Z600 engine size. Honda also offered a “sedan” version with more angular proportions called the N600. This car has the added bonus of having a rebuilt engine by the world-renowned Honda N-series and Z-series guru Tim Mings, known as Merciless Mings. That alone is a huge selling point.

I don’t use the word cute too often, at least when I’m not referring to our smallish 13-year-old golden retriever, but this Z600 is just… cute. The wheels aren’t OEM, of course, but that’s an easy fix if the winning bidder wanted to restore this example back to bone-stock spec. This car is just over four feet tall and four feet wide, so you’ll have to pay attention in traffic as 99% of other drivers aren’t paying attention anymore, sadly. It would be a toss-up for the car with the biggest crowd around it at a grocery store, this Z600, or a new Ferrari. I’d put money on the Honda.

For a Southern California car, the interior looks surprisingly nice. The driver’s seat has some seam separations as is expected, but I’d want to source some more OEM-looking material and redo them anyway, or at least the inserts, which would have been a nubby vinyl pattern. The dash appears crack-free and there aren’t any other glaring issues inside that I can see. This car appears to have been painted in a darker blue than what would have originally been offered, and there was also yellow, orange, and olive green available for the Z600 Coupe.

The engine is Honda’s 598cc air-cooled SOHC inline-twin, basically a motorcycle engine, and it had 36 horsepower and 32 lb-ft of torque when new. We don’t know what was involved with the rebuild, but if Tim Mings had his golden fingers on it, I’m guessing it runs great. It sends power through a four-speed manual with a unique dash-mounted shifter to the front wheels, and the seller says it’s easy to drive at highway speeds. With Honda’s new Civic coming onto the market in 1973, this would be the last year the Z600 was available in the U.S., and it would be a fun car to own. Please check out the photos and video and get your offer in!

Auctions Ending Soon

Comments

  1. Perry Wright

    Owner here. This is the fastest bone-stock 600 I’ve ever owned (and I’ve had 13 of them!) The fresh engine is clearly making it’s full power potential. Tim Ming’s Honda 600 engines are impressive. Note: This was not an “motor exchange” It’s the engine that was in the car, rebuilt then re installed.

    Like 1
  2. Thomas L. Kaufman

    I had a Honda S800 while I was stationed at Ft.Leonard Wood, Mo, back in 1969.

    Like 2
  3. Rex Welker

    Bought a new 1972 Z 600 , was a fun car, but not a large family car, great as a comuter car!

    Like 3
  4. Bakes

    Somewhere there’s a dictionary with the term cute car in it, and this is the picture next to it. Always loved these things for some strange reason. The local Honda dealer had one in the showroom for a while and every time I would take my ex’s car in for service, that thing became my waiting room. Tiny but if you’re under 6 ft, it’s doable. Blue is probably the least common color for these. Engine should be pretty much bulletproof at this point. GLWTS!

    Like 5
  5. Car Nut Tacoma

    Nice looking car. Assuming it runs and drives under its own power, I’d buy it and repaint it.

    Like 1
  6. phil kiemel

    One of the youth pastors at my church had one of these in the early 70’s and we youth dragged it sideways in a parking spot between 2 cars. Good times:-)

    Like 1
  7. Kim

    At one time I had 5 Honda 600s. In an attempt to keep one car on the road I robbed parts from 4 of them until I gave up and sold the bunch for $1000. A Sunday drive always had to have a rescue vehicle waiting. It just took all of the fun out of it.

    Like 3
  8. Jack H

    I’m guessing that those cosmic wheels are made for a Mini. If so, the bolt pattern is wrong, 4 on 100mm for the Honda, 4 on 4″ for the Mini.

    Like 0
  9. Crown

    This car was considered way more desirable than the 2 stroke Subaru that was around back then.
    My friends brother bought one of those Subarus. That thing was like a death trap.

    Like 3
    • david

      Two stroke! lol

      Like 1
      • PRA4SNWMember

        These Hondas are also 2 stroke, IIRC.

        Like 0
  10. mike

    I had a 1972 n600 well I had 3 of them and 1 license plate . I drove the one and worked on the others worked great. sold the bunch after I ended up under a 40′ truck trailer at 65 miles an hour. boy that landing gear was almost in my face. yes I would buy this one, but I would be careful. around trucks.

    Like 0
  11. chrlsful

    yeah, this, all over the subie. Beddah?

    the S600, or whatever it was w/the fastback (not the vert)

    Like 1
  12. Paolo

    At my High School in the early 70s there was one Subaru 360 and one Honda 400, The Subaru was scary to ride in but the Honda at least seemed able to get out of its own way.

    Like 4

Leave A Comment

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Barn Finds