A 1971 Honda N600 sedan, described as the first Honda car officially sold in the U.S., has appeared for sale. This model is smaller than a first-generation Honda Civic and features a two-cylinder engine. It is currently offered with a rebuilt engine.
While some S600 coupes and roadsters were privately imported into the U.S. and sold in Canada, the N600 marked Honda's first official factory-supported entry into the North American car market. Honda reportedly required its motorcycle dealers to invest in a separate showroom to sell the N600. This initiative preceded the arrival of the Civic in the 1970s.
The N600 was developed from the N360, which was sold in Japan. For the U.S. market, Honda equipped 50 prototype N600s with a 600-cc parallel-twin engine to assess their performance in various climates. Production versions began selling in the 1970 model year. The featured 1971 model is finished in Spring Yellow with a black vinyl interior and is reported to be in tidy condition.
The two-cylinder engine was factory-rated at 35 horsepower, and the vehicle weighs approximately the same as two scooters. The current example has a freshly rebuilt engine and a four-speed manual transmission.