This 1971 Honda AN600 is a new find on the Barn Finds Classifieds system, and it looks like a worthwhile project for anyone that’s been hunting for a vintage kei car. I’ve had a fascination with these for a while now after hearing some YouTube clips of one accelerating furiously (or as furiously as one can accelerate on two cylinders), as they sound racier than you’d expect. This example is believed to have been “running when parked” when it became stationary in 1993. The seller notes it is rust-free and has lived in the dry Colorado climate since new. Find it here on Barn Finds for $1,500 or best offer.
The best thing about a kei car is how little space they take up, so if you need to park one for an extended period of time, it’s hardly an inconvenience. The listing claims the Honda was parked in the early 90s due to needing new points, a job that was never completed. It will obviously need a fair amount of reconditioning simply due to the passage of time, and the seller notes the tires are dry-rotted and that various belts and hoses should be preemptively replaced as well. Fortunately, the bodywork shouldn’t be a big factor in its rejuvenation.
The engine bay appears reasonably undisturbed, and the seller notes it has been in the long-term ownership of one family. Mileage is listed as 35,780, but it’s hard to assess whether that’s genuine or rolled over. The Honda could use a good cleaning, and I’d bet a detailing would make the engine bay present a fair amount better. While they aren’t the easiest cars to find parts for, there’s a robust following for the tiny Honda and renowned restorer Tim Ming, owner of Merciless Mings, should be on your speed dial if you choose to take on this restoration.
Seat upholstery will need to be redone, and one side effect of the aired Colorado climate is cars that stand outside for extended periods can suffer from sun damage. Of course, you can live with the seat covers indefinitely while more pressing issues are addressed. It’s good to see the original hubcaps remain with the car; it may indicate the owners at least tried to keep any parts with the car as they were removed. If anyone jumps at this cheap project, I do know of a junkyard where one of these is sitting with plenty of useful bits – get in touch!
Bet it sells today at this price. Seems like a great deal. Looks very restorable with minimal body work.
I had a girlfriend that owned an orange one of these, We were driving around Wichita one day, hit a bump or pothole, and the rear window fell into the back of the car. It reminded me of a Japanese pumpkin. on tiny wheels.
Where in Colorado is this car located? I live in Denver, Colorado and I’m very interested in seeing it a make a offer!
I can’t tell from the engine photo, but is this the model that came with the 2 cylinder air cooled engine?
Optimistic speedometer!
I had a couple of these in the 1980’s. I painted one “plum crazy purple”, put a big audio system in it and prowled the Fort Lauderdale Strip. Good times. The shifter hangs of the bottom of the dashboard and it was good for a top speed of 78mph (with the wind).
Imagine starting with car, Honda also came out with sports coupe, I believe it was the S600 & the S800. This AN 600 had the larger engine than the original AN360. These little Honda cars are a blast to drive around especially trying to keep up, advice: do not attempt driving on the freeway! An old high school friend had one of these but his was a 360. We had a fun time in it-he was 6’1 250lbs., me 5’11 180lbs. We had to use premium fuel to get around. This was the late ’60s and early 70s. I remembered we were picked on big time and the girls refused to go out on double date with us! Ah such good memories. My friend’s was yellow and I believe the engine came from a 360cc motorcycle engine. Be a great & cheap restoration project!
I had the use of an AZ600 for a couple of weeks. It will run normal/legal highway speeds. (Here in Nevada we do have some 80mph speed limits as does Utah, so that is out of the question) I had a blast driving it. My BIL had one while he was in high school and had nothing but problems with it. (It would jump time and bend the valves.) He was never able to keep it running to where it would be considered reliable. I worked in a Pontiac store that became a Honda dealer in 1973. Our initial parts order was all 600 parts. ( we never sold a single 600 part) I remember a parts drawer full of ignition points and about 3 cases of air filters. The Civic sure was an improvement in every way but parking space left overs.
I claimed it! Psyched. @Jeff, could you point me towards that junkyard n600 you mentioned in the article?