There’s very little out there anymore that one can honestly call a “deal.” There are plenty of absolute roach coaches that should be scrapped immediately, and a similar number of overpriced and over restored specimens. Rarely do we find a car pleasantly in the middle that is also fairly priced and incredibly desirable, offering a rare opportunity for the future owner to possess an appreciating asset even with the mountain of work required. This 1965 Honda S600 listed here on craigslist for $5,900 appears to be such a car, as it is obviously quite desirable, and offered at a good number for the work involved in restoring it.

The Honda S600 was one of the first examples of a sports car that didn’t automatically use huge displacement to generate a thrilling driving experience. In fact, the S600 essentially laid the blueprint for Honda to build high-revving engines that seemed better suited for an F1 car rather than a passenger vehicle, and it did exactly that: the engine in the S600 effectively took Honda’s expertise gained from building motorcycle engines and applied it to the automobile. In the words of Mad Men character Lane Price, “It’s a motorcycle with doors….so you can see your brains splatter against the glass.”

The Honda RA272 was its legendary F1 car that demonstrated how the motorcycle maker could extract ridiculous performance from just 1.5L of displacement. This V12 engine took F1 driver Richie Ginther to Honda’s first-ever motorsports victory at the Mexican Grand Prix. When distilled into the passenger car model is what you see here, This 606cc DOHC inline-four would scream to a insane 8,500 RPM. And while it generates just under 60 horsepower, it’s one of those cars that feels like it has double that amount due to the sheer zaniness of the driving experience. The engine is also the reason for the seller’s low asking price: he admits the engine shows low compression across all cylinders.

However, even with this in mind, there are specialist shops out there than can rebuild this magical motor. And the seller has already procured several desirable repair components that will make bringing this S600 back to life that much easier, including genuine Honda gaskets and piston rings. As he notes, the price of parts on this car is through the roof, so his ask is more than fair considering he could likely make far more stripping it down and selling it piece by piece. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen when it goes onto its next owner, as this is a golden opportunity to restore a hugely desirable Honda at a very low price of entry. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the tip.