This is the second 1972 Honda Z600 that we’ve seen this month and there have been five shown here on Barn Finds over the last year. That may seem like a lot but when you think about how many Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes are shown it’s not even a drop in the bucket. This little drop in the bucket is listed here on eBay in Everest, Kansas and the current bid is $3,050 with a $6,350 buy-it-now price.
Make mine a Honda Z600 over a muscle car any day, but that’s how I roll. I like my vehicles on the unusual side and this Z600, especially with this paint scheme, is certainly unusual. Sold in the US market from 1970 through the end of 1972 – with maybe a few trickling out in 1973 as the new Civic was starting to appear – the Z600 was the sporty cousin/partner/brother/sister to the Honda N600.
The Honda Z600 that we saw a week and a half ago here on Barn Finds was a little rugged and was also a car that had spent years in storage, although this example appears to have come out of storage in better condition. The seller says that this Z600 has been indoors for 20 years which I/we take as meaning in storage, not being used, tucked away, etc.
This car looks great from most angles and in most of the photos but if you dig into them a bit, you can see that some of the details show that it’ll need work. Or not, just get it running, keep it running, and drive it as it looks now. The interior does look good and I’ve always liked that funky shifter. The seller doesn’t give much info but they enthusiastically yell when they say that it’s “ROCK SOLID” and “SOLID- SOLID SOLID”. So much for me wondering about the details, this one is solid!
As with the other Z600s, this engine is Honda’s 598 cc air-cooled twin-cylinder with 36 horsepower and this one isn’t running. I don’t like to see that battery partially uncovered and there are a few other things going on under the hood but hopefully it won’t be too daunting for the next owner. The seller was told that it was running when they bought it but it has been sitting for years so it’s a wild card. This one looks like a much better gamble to me, any thoughts about this Z600?
The black seal around the rear window and the way it protrudes always made me thing that it was designed to dock with a spaceship. We had one in our neighborhood growing up, we all thought it was an electric car.
The battery is larger than the engine
When I compare this to 2021 Honda’s I consider.
Did Honda use Growth Hormones?
I mean the cars are huge compared to the ’70’s.
Park a 1972 Porsche 911 next to a 2022 Porsche 911.
I don’t think they can help it, Al.
Think of the billions in man hours and treasure to re-tool downsized vehicles in the ’80s and then every model generation after that grew fatter, wider, longer, consoles eating up space and obstructing those nice flat floors as a result of adopting FWD.
Sorry, I’m not buying it’s all about “the saaaafety, the saaaaafety ” regulations. It’s a lack of restraint and the entrenched idea that more is always better.
I guess it satisfies the cheap lease crowd.
A curse to those who value trim, space and size efficient, clean designs.
I have one of the last US-market Fits, bought new just before the pandemic. Had to go out of state to get the manual, and it feels like I scored the last real Honda.
I’ve seen a Z600 in person, it’s so small I could practically carry it in the back of the Fit. Well, OK, not that small…but it could certainly ride in an 8′ pickup box.
2022 Americans tend not to fit in 1970’s era Hondas anymore…….
I just can’t understand why?
I know they have (the car) have been washed many times, but to shrink that much. I just don’t understand your logic.
Having had and tried to maintain a couple N600 Honda’s in the early ‘2000s, I can attest to the near non-existence of parts for these. Brake parts, engine parts, suspension parts are like hens teeth. If your patient, and don’t mind them sitting for long periods of time while you track down and negotiate a price with a seller this is your kind of car, as for me, never again. Only car more difficult to get parts for are the Subaru 360’s!!! But….really fun to drive!!!
Hmmm, no concern trolls in the comment section whining about the saaaafety, the saaafety yet ?
I’m shocked.
The sellers id is I Find You Flip, they have two other cars listed.
That even layer of silt under the hood and noted elsewhere makes me think its been in a flood. What do you think?
I have a soft spot for these little roller skates. I’d think it would be cool to gut the mechanicals out of this and put in modern suspension and a ‘busa motor. With the extra oomph of the motor, I could add in an interior roll cage plus a day-glo paint job to be seen better. This one looks too nice to modify. Since Everest, KS is such a small town, I found the location where they took the pictures. https://www.google.com/maps/@39.6749728,-95.4270316,3a,75y,253.89h,84.82t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLxa0sMspxKGwoQSgTrc_cA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
Had to have been a bit scary at times driving something so little amongst a sea of 20ft.land yachts in the 70s .I know I’d of been ready and waiting to get out of the way every time i seen a Lincoln or Cadillac coming at me on a 2 lane road. Cheap to buy and drive but not the safest car to be in at the time
The hood stays up without a prop rod??!!
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/rRkAAOSwfTRiNOuC/s-l1600.jpg
Did it come with optional door armrests?
Paid $100 for the one I had, many years ago, cannot believe these are worth $3K. Fun to drive on surface streets, a bit terrifying at speed…
I had a N600 same mechanically in 1979 parts just didn’t exist! Can’t even imagine trying to keep one running now
“…any thoughts…”
yes, remember my 1st view of 1 of these – when out the corner of a this youngster’s eye I saw something different enuff to snap my head around toward it. All I saw was what seemed like a huge blk plastic frame moving away. Nope nota 3rd or 4th gen Impala, a shiny new Falcon but a car lookin akin to a hi topped sneaker (ballooning up in back). Remember my impressionably young age, the rarity, and times. Still have lots of memories of the occurrence 50 yrs later. Tells U how significant the Japanese invasion of eastern massassuchetts was. I’d perfer the 3 year S600 of course, dual drive chains’n all.
Does anyone know what the deal is with the 2 mirrors? The one on the door looks to be a close match, but not quite a body match. The one on the fender is, I’m sure, aftermarket, but why out on the fender?
TIA
Randi
These little roller skates always stuck out in my mind from when I was little living in San Diego. But I think it was the cvc or cvcc, it became the civic later. Is the engine the same as the motorcycle engines?
Auction update: this one ended at $4,555.55 and no sale.
Bought one of these in 1979 Los Angeles for $1,000. Drove it on the freeways day and night… No problems. Then in the middle of December I decided to drive it from LA all the way to Northern Ohio to visit family for Christmas. A little ambitious there. The motor quit late at night while nearing Texarkana. Me and my girlfriend folded down the comfy seats and spent the night on the side of the interstate. Every semi that went by rocked Our Little World. Flag down a passing tow truck the next morning. At the Honda dealership in Texarkana, they found the points had broken which burned a valve. They got it to run but she couldn’t top 35 mph. Drove it all that way to Toledo Ohio in Sub- freezing conditions. The pathetic heater did nothing and I began to think I just might freeze to death. In Toledo I ended up selling it to a Pontiac / Honda dealer who gave me four hundred bucks for it. They kept it on display in their showroom as a museum piece for the next several decades. I kid you not.
I thought all liquid cooled motors regardless of displacement supplied more than enough heat – maybe the heater core or even a hose was clogged up? Did you feel both heater hoses? Maybe there was a draft under the dash – vent(s) left open/hole(s) to the outside? On my ’74 firebird with no fact a/c, oddly i get much better heat if i secure the long heater hose to the inner fender well instead of parallel close to the valve cover.
Never heard of ignition pts beaking when replaced at recommended intervals.
Always a must to carry spare points & condenser & a file in the glove compartment – wasn’t the motor running rough way before the pts broke?!