Hot Zot. Honda Z360 Hardtop
May 24th 2008 03:14
I've never been especially concerned about fashion and styles in cars, music or anything. I'm the typical "I dunno art, but I know what I like"¯ kind of guy. When I said I liked Dire Straits in year 4, the class as one made an "ewwww" noise and scrunched their faces as if they'd just licked a lemon arsehole. When I said I liked KISS, they all laughed, even my teacher. But I didn't care, I knew that I was right and they were missing out.
Anyway fast forward a few years to a small farm shed on the outskirts of the country town I grew up in. I was standing looking at this incredibly small purple Honda. I knew I had seen them before (a guy in high school had one) but I had never realised how cool they were. Now, here's where you say "ewww", ready? I was totally in awe of the pretty little Honda Z360 Hardtop.
These were the predecessor to the first series Civic which came in 1974-5.
Old matey Soichiro Honda wanted to use the motorbike engine knowledge that his company had to make some small cars with air-cooled engines for the masses. So in 1971 the world was introduced to the Z360 with its tiny 360cc engine pumping out an Earth shattering 23kw. The air-cooled car continued until 1973 when the water-cooled engines were introduced only to cease production in late 1974 which was when the Civic came to life. There was also a Z600 which was a Z360 with a bigger, you guessed it, 600cc engine. Other Hondas that shared the engines around the same time with Scamp, the Life, and the Step van.
I still haven't found one for myself yet, as I have to do something with the cars I already have, but when I get one I know it'll be a ripper!!! Plans include a large capacity bike engine, cage and flairs like the blue one below which was for sale on my105 recently.
Here are some awesome examples, and if you are into the old Nippon classics check out Japanese Nostalgic Car
Anyway fast forward a few years to a small farm shed on the outskirts of the country town I grew up in. I was standing looking at this incredibly small purple Honda. I knew I had seen them before (a guy in high school had one) but I had never realised how cool they were. Now, here's where you say "ewww", ready? I was totally in awe of the pretty little Honda Z360 Hardtop.
Old matey Soichiro Honda wanted to use the motorbike engine knowledge that his company had to make some small cars with air-cooled engines for the masses. So in 1971 the world was introduced to the Z360 with its tiny 360cc engine pumping out an Earth shattering 23kw. The air-cooled car continued until 1973 when the water-cooled engines were introduced only to cease production in late 1974 which was when the Civic came to life. There was also a Z600 which was a Z360 with a bigger, you guessed it, 600cc engine. Other Hondas that shared the engines around the same time with Scamp, the Life, and the Step van.
Here are some awesome examples, and if you are into the old Nippon classics check out Japanese Nostalgic Car
Awsome Z360 with mid-mounted 1300cc Suzuki GTI engine
Mid-mounted 1300cc Swift GTI engine
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