| Honda N360/N600 | |
|---|---|
 1969 Honda N360 sedan | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Honda |
| Also called | |
| Production | 1967–1972 |
| Assembly | |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Kei car/city car |
| Body style | |
| Layout | FF layout[7] |
| Related | |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
|
| Transmission | Four-speed manual constant mesh, dog-clutch engagement[8] three-speed automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,000 mm (78.7 in) |
| Length | 2,995 mm (117.9 in) |
| Width | 1,295 mm (51 in)[8] |
| Height | 1,346 mm (53 in)[8] |
| Kerb weight | 508 kg (1,119 lb)[8] |
| Chronology | |
| Successor |
|
TheHonda N360 is a small car manufactured and marketed byHonda from March 1967 to 1972. Built as both a two-doorsedan and three-doorwagon, the N360 has afront-engine, front-wheel-drive layout and seats four passengers.
After a January 1970facelift, the N360 became theNIII360 and continued in production until June 1972.[9] A larger-engined variant, theN600, was marketed through 1973. All models used a straight forwardtwo-box design that complied withkei car dimensional regulations — though vehicles with the 401 cc and 598 cc engines exceeded the kei engine displacement limits and were largely intended for markets outside Japan.
The N360 featuredfront-wheel drive and anair-cooled,four-stroke, 354 cc, 31 PS (23 kW; 31 hp) two-cylinder engine. While ultimately derived from Honda's motorcycle engines, the N360E engine has a 360-degreecrankshaft angle ("parallel twin") unlike the 180-degree "vertical twin" setup typically used on Honda's two-cylinder motorcycle engines.[10] This same engine was used in theHonda Vamos, where it was coupled with abeam axle/leaf spring rear suspension.
The simpleN360 name, along with its variants, used the "N" prefix, which stood fornorimono and translated from Japanese to English asvehicle (orcar) — distinguishing the cars from the company's motorcycle offerings.
In 2012, Honda introduced theHonda N-One, an homage inspired by the 1967–1973 N sedans.
Honda marketed the N360 as a two-doorsedan, with a three-doorwagon (considered a commercial vehicle in Japan, and therefore called a "Light van") called theLN360 arriving in June of the first year. It has a horizontally divided rear gate and boxier rear bodywork for maximum load capacity. The LN360 had the same 31 PS engine as the sedan, and a top speed of 105 km/h (65 mph). After a January 1970 facelift it became the LNIII 360, with a new non-reflective dash, bigger turn signals, and the same new front end as the sedan. The LNIII 360 was built until late 1971, when theLife Van took over.[11]
The N360 was an all new, clean-sheet product, and did not share its chassis with theHonda Sports roadster, or theHonda L700 commercial platform. The N360 was a new market segment for Honda, providing an affordable, reliable, and easy-to-maintain vehicle that had broad market appeal to private car ownership. The roadsters and trucks built up to then had specific, targeted appeal.
The engine's technological specifications reflected engineering efforts resulting from the development of the largerHonda 1300, which used an air-cooled 1.3-litre engine. One of the primary differences between the N360 and the Honda Life that followed was the N360/600 had an air-cooled engine, and the Life had a water-cooled engine. The water-cooled engine was better able to comply with newly enacted emission standards in Japan, and reflected an industry wide move away from air-cooled as well astwo-stroke engines. As does the originalMini, but unlike the succeeding Life, the N360/600 had its gearbox mounted in thesump rather than bolted on as a separate unit. The N360E engine was unusual in several ways: its two cylinders sat rather far apart, with the cam chain running between them.[12] Unlike most air-cooled automobile engine, it does not use an oil cooler. The two pistons travel together, eliminating the need for adistributor but making for additional vibrations.[12] It uses either a single or double constant velocity (CV)carburetor of comparatively large bore; this design helps it run smoothly at low engine speeds in spite of the parallel twin engine layout.[10]
An upgraded 36 PS (26 kW) engine was added in October 1968 for theN360 TS, which was sold as the N360 Touring following a minor update in January 1969. The updated version is referred to as theNII. A 401.54 cc engine was used in the similarN400, a model sold in certain export markets beginning in late summer 1968. This occupied the narrow slot between the 360 and the 600; in most markets where it was available it was only sold as the N400 L with better equipment. TheHondamatic-equippedN360AT which appeared in August 1968 was the first kei car equipped with anautomatic transmission.[13]
The larger-engined N600 was developed alongside the N360 in order to target export markets like the US and Europe, where motorways demanded higher top speeds.[14] It was also briefly sold in the domestic Japanese market, however, where it went on sale in July 1968 as theN600E.[15] Only 1,500 examples were sold until early 1969 when the N600 was discontinued in Japan; because of its larger engine it did not qualify for any of the tax and insurance breaks given tokei cars even though it was as small as one.
Just seven months after road testing the N360, Britain'sMotor magazine tested a Honda N600 in November 1968. They reported that it had a top speed of 77.1 mph (124.1 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 19 seconds. An overall fuel consumption of 36.3 miles per imperial gallon (7.8 L/100 km; 30.2 mpg‑US) was achieved. The test car was priced in the UK at £589 including taxes, at a time when theMini 850 was retailing for £561. The testers were impressed to find 1100 cc performance from a 600 cc car, but found it 'very noisy when extended'. They found the Honda as easy to drive and park, and 'quite well equipped'. The performance figures put the car at or near the top of its class under most criteria, reflecting its favourable power-to-weight ratio.[16] The car was thus 5 mph (8 km/h) faster than the 72 mph (116 km/h) achieved by rival magazineAutocar in an N360 in May 1968, and more than ten seconds quicker to 60 mph (97 km/h) which the N360 achieved in 29.3 seconds.[8] Consistent with its slower performance, the N360 squeezed 3 extra miles out of a (UK) gallon of fuel, managing an overall 39.4 miles per imperial gallon (7.17 L/100 km; 32.8 mpg‑US).[8]
The N600 was introduced to the United States as the600 Sedan in 1969 as a 1970 model, and was the first Honda automobile to be officially exported to the United States by the Honda Motor Company (a small number ofsports cars had been imported privately in years prior). Sales were originally limited toHawaii, but cars were soon exported to theUS West Coast by 1970. It was technologically advanced for its time, with an all alloy engine that could achieve 9000 rpm. Engine output was 36–45 hp (27–34 kW) and was capable of propelling the car to a top speed of 81 mph (130 km/h). The lower-powered engine arrived in 1972; with milder cams and lowered compression it gave up some peak power and torque, while allowing for a less peaky delivery and higher drivability.[17] It delivered surprisingly peppy performance because of its light weight (around 550 kg/1100 pounds), due to compact dimensions and some plastic parts (like the boot lid). The brakes on early models were very weak, despite having front discs and servo assistance. Rear suspension was adead axle on leaf springs.
The N600 (along with theTN360 kei truck), were the first Honda cars to be assembled outside Japan, with production in Taiwan by local joint ventureSanyang Industrial beginning in 1969.[6] The N600 was called theFu Gui, meaning 'Wealth' in Chinese (富貴).[3]
US sales stopped in 1972, as did those of the sportierHonda Z600 (or Z, depending on country), after about 25,000 sales of the N600.[14] 40,550 Zs and Ns were sold altogether in the United States.[18] The first-generationHonda Civic replaced the N models.
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In September 1967, Honda offered their first automobile for the North American market, and they were exported to Los Angeles, California. Fifty pre-production left-hand-drive examples were sent as "winter test vehicles" and were only intended to be driven 20,000 mi (32,186.9 km) for endurance testing, then collected and crushed at a local scrapyard across the street from the American Honda 1960s headquarters.[19] Four of the American pre-production vehicles still exist, and Serial Number N600-1000001, the first one manufactured, was discovered at a Japanese-specific car show in Long Beach, California, in 2015. At the request ofAmerican Honda, the car was extensively restored and unveiled at the same car show one year later, to be added to the American Honda Museum collection. The car was made part of thePetersen Automotive Museum collection in 2018. Honda documented the restoration in a series of videos.[20]
Honda has paid tribute to the N360 with a number of modern vehicles, including:
