1970/71 Honda Z600 buzzes into Jay Leno’s Storage

Honda has come a good distance through the years. Showing on a latest episode of “Jay Leno’s Storage,” this Honda Z600 is an instance of one of many automaker’s earliest manufacturing fashions.

Both a 1970 or 1971 mannequin, the automobile was rebuilt by Buck Woodruff and his son Harrison. The elder Woodruff was one of many first Honda sellers within the U.S., and nonetheless sells the automaker’s wares at this time in Georgia. The 2 thought it could be good to seek out an early Honda to show within the showroom to symbolize each their household historical past and Honda’s.

The Z600 was marketed as a coupe model of the N600, the primary Honda automobile bought within the U.S., which in flip was a larger-engined model of the Japanese-market N360. The N360 launched in 1967 with a 360-cc twin to adjust to the then-current model of Japan’s kei-car requirements which incentivize small automobiles with small-displacement engines. For export markets just like the U.S., Honda developed a 598-cc model of the N360’s engine, which went into each the N600 and the Z600 and developed a mighty 36 hp within the N600. And, as you may hear within the video it does that with a buzz of revs.

This automobile hasn’t been restored, however merely returned to operating situation with its unique paint and plenty of unique elements—together with, remarkably, a Nineteen Seventies-vintage washer fluid bag. It had sat for 3 years earlier than the Woodruffs bought their arms on it and nonetheless wants some shaking down, as proven throughout the take a look at drive when a blocked gas vent precipitated the move of gas to be interrupted.

Honda solely bought the Z600 within the U.S. from 1970-1972, after which it was pulled from this market to make means for the Civic, which launched in 1973 with Honda’s revolutionary CVCC engine. Quick for “Compound Vortex Managed Combustion,” it used intelligent engineering methods like pre-chamber combustion to fulfill the primary spherical of U.S. emissions requirements (which got here into impact for the 1975 mannequin yr) and not using a catalytic converter. However that is a narrative for an additional time.

Whereas it did not have as a lot of an impression because the first-generation Civic, the Z600 helped Honda set up itself as a world automaker. Watch the total video for extra on this neglected little bit of Honda historical past.