1971 Honda 600 Sedan Commercial

[gingygeorge]

i want one"!

[peckerwood57]

When this was advertised for $1595, in1971, I remember the ads for Pinto's, Mavericks', and Vegas advertised for $1995.

[camouflagecamaro99]

My town dosent have a main street. :( I can't prepare for the 600. 

[microimage1]

Love it. And the Subaru 360 did even better, 45+ mpg.

[luso2kx]

$1545.........can we have THOSE prices back?

[jggraphx]

awwww! i love my Honda :)

[wurlitzer1400]

the girls back then were a lot prettier too.

[zuga00100]

I'ma Japanese. Long time fan of Honda cars. Like a Honda car, a foreign people, thank you.

[tomperanteau]

@zuga00100 You people built a great car.

[itsmegp46]

This car had a two cylinder motorcycle engine with 36 cubic inches and 36 horsepower. Speed topped out to about 65-70 mph. We did fail, they use that catch phrase, "up to" 40 mpg.

[riceboy1701e]

And the guy uses TWO parking spaces for the little car! Look closely...

[riceboy1701e]

Wow...the little car wit ha two-cylinder, two-cycle (motorcycle), AIR cooled engine! 40 MPGs!

I owned at least three 70s era Hondas...GREAT little cars, and perfect for pizza delivery, especially in today's $3+ per gallon economy...although those days are behind me.

LOVE your posts WookieCookie! Great find!

[r3llikr3ggin]

my vw caddy truck gets 50mpg :)

those germans knew what they were doing

[jeepers2655]

friend had 1 in Ca.....the lil sport coupe.......looked so small......an cute.....this was in 1973!......I bought a Honda 350 cb new in 1972........shoulda bought the Car.

[VhUgGz]

That 1971 600 looked pretty ugly.

But the 1972 looked awesome. Similar to a 240z :S

[LucN600]

I have a N600 from 1972. It took me 3 yrs to restore it. It now gets so much attention. It really makes people smile when they see it.

[mypalrocco]

Cute commercial!

[ellaswing]

classic Honda narrator

[ikeepzitclean]

ha that honda 600 is the shizz.. i'd buy one now just cuz they're pretty much collector cars and almost impossible to find.

[MySegaSaturn]

1971: 40 miles per gallon

2011: 40 miles per gallon, if you own a hybrid

Where did we go so wrong? D:

[DelilahThePig]

Is this the precursor to the Civic, or something totally old-fashioned and different?

[Dooby1986]

@DelilahThePig

Yes.

The Honda 600 was sold in Japan as the N600 or N360, depending on engine cc.

This and the Honda Z were sold until around 1973 when the Civic debuted.

[ebf1957]

They look like the Morris Mini Minor when they first came out.

[dwilsonjr78]

@ebf1957

The British cars were actually Honda's inspiration when they started making cars. They loved the Austin Mini's concept of having maximum space in a small front wheel drive package and thus the N600 and early Civic was born! 

[hornet28610]

Yep. They needed to be that small, to make room for the Hummers, Escalades, and Suburbans.

[adape0884frank]

Hey they were cheap as hell back then now they are expensive.

[CALiBOiAKArezz]

woww japanese cars from bak in the day looked ugly as fuk.its like wen kia and hyundais furst came ouht...they were hidius but now its a diffrent story...

[efzt]

@CALiBOiAKArezz shut yer piehole smelliboicrazy.

[carloscabrera08]

@87chevyelcamino @Lumotaku @devinnnnnnnnnnnnnn @GmTruckCarLove @MiracleMileV8 @wq1299, YouTube arguments are pointless so let me put this to rest so I don't see any more of your names in my inbox. America can and does make some great cars. Japanese cars tend to be "better" but lack soul and personality; They're more like appliances than cars and for that alone I've never bought one. Also, I do like Fords. They're my favorite domestic brand and they didn't need a bailout. Now leave me alone.

[Seattlecarnut]

My, my! How times changed! 40 yrs ago, Hondas were small funky econoboxes. It was difficult to take them seriously as a car for everyday driving.

[Gregkret]

I had a 71. It got 40 mhg and would do 83 mph wide open! The US told Honda to modify the heaters on the cars waiting sale, Honda refused and ground up thousands of brand new cars and sent the scrap back to Japan. The Civics showed up after that. The N600s were hard to keep running if driven hard. They had the Z car and a very rare "Hawaiian" version with twin carbs. Very cool car. They used the engine in the 5000 generator, with a belt cam drive! The cam chain in the n600 sucked.

[DeLorean4]

I dislike all new Hondas and Acuras, but damn, this is the sort of car that you can't help but look at and smile.

[divinemrsq]

Did Don Draper come up with the concept for this ad?

[divinemrsq]

Did Don Draper come up with the concept of this ad?

[redmond12400]

Thats a great AD.

[ParkJongBum]

cute how about create ne car based on 600 sedan? improving safety and engine power

[bzww6890]

このサイドマーカー、まだ入手できるかしら?



[MattTheSaiyan]

They should make these again. They are cute!

[thatmuse76]

@MattTheSaiyan

They kind of are with the Fit. Believe me I don't think you would want the 600cc engine with today's traffic, though.

[AngryWhiteGurl]

I miss my CVCC. That car ROCKED!

[rodrigofernandezru93]

that was rather helpful thanks. has anyone seen the new pvp bot at wowcheatsYnet (replace Y with . ) ? its very cool, ive got a level 80 hunter, shaman and druid with pretty much 100 % pvp gear because of it!

[Lvaneede]

As a Honda N360 owner, I would like to drive an N600 model just to see how much more power it has.

[pedalsnkeys1313]

I drive a Civic that is 33 years younger than that one! You know a car is good when they don't have to change the name! :)

[adape0884frank]

OMG how interesting 40mpg and only $1545 I only wonder what it would of been like to go for a ride in it.

[05Forenza]

40mpg...how did we fail?..Anyways Honda certianly has gotten away from the 'small' idea...take the new Accord...thing lumbers along.

[jds06]

@05Forenza My 97 Civic Sedan gets 39hwy mpg. :) Not too bad...

[riceboy1701e]

@05Forenza ALL of the formerly Japanese automakers have log strayed from the small, fuel efficient vehicles that we (or at least I) remember.

Remember whwn Toyota, Nissan (I own one) and Honda all made those small (like this Civic) econoboxes and LITTLE trucks? The Datsun (now Nissan)? Now it's the Toyota Tundra, the Honda Ridgeline (it's a joke...that thing is just as big as a full-sized F100), and the Nissan Titan?

What happened? America's waistline, that's what happened.

[riceboy1701e]

@riceboy1701e That should be "long", not "log"...

America's waistline got bigger, so we needed bigger vehicles to toe our bigger...bodies. As GM, Ford and Chrysler built bigger vehicles and the SUV market took hold, the foreign makers followed. Now we have the glut of the likes of Hummer, Suburban and other large gas guzzlers.

No wonder gas prices are astronomical. I'd LOVE to return to THESE days of the 40+MPG Honda Civic.

[thebutlerdiditfy]

dude i used to have one of those in high school but i dropped a 1200cc vulcan and a small tractor differential turned it into a four wheel drive and had a blast!!

[harley1450000]

the begining of the end

[ThatMiserableCat]

Soon, we will all be driving dinks cars just about like the Honda 600 in this ad. Did you know this air-cooled 2-cylinder car could go 72miles per hour? And, they got 40 miles per gallon. Not much a a back seat. Washington's new fuel mileage standards (CAFE) are coming into effect, and when they hit, this little car is about as big of a car as you will be permitted to buy and operate. I'm keeping my Cougar and converting her to operate on CNG.

30+mpg, and CLEAN. Plus, it's stylin'. yo.

[batvette]

@ThatMiserableCat 72 mph? doubtful, even when new with the wind at your back. My next door neighbor had one about a dozen years ago, pretty good shape for its age. He had to take surface streets to work and avoid the freeways because at close to 45 the thing felt like it was shaking itself apart, even if you could stand it it wouldn't exceed 50 under its own power. crazy belt ran all over under the hood!

[ThatMiserableCat]

@batvette --

Well, yes, when new and/or tuned properly, the S600 Sedan would get past 70 on a no-wind day. I rode in it. Way back in 1974. My point was, that Obama's new CAFE mileage standards for cars in just a few years, will result in many more two and three cylinder cars coming our way. A four cylinder turbo will be the big performance car in just a few years. If you like large, powerful cars, better get one now, as they will soon be no more.

[ISockItAwayPal]

very cool ad

[tjfgermany58123]

I had a 600 sedan. I once had a flat tire in the back and didn't know it until i made a turn. lol

[wrongsideoftime]

Brilliant! The notion that a small car allows you to change the rules... So you can fit 3 in the same width as 2 "regular" cars -- there's still only 2 lanes on the road! So you can park them in a shorter space -- you still have to use the marked out parking spaces! Strangest thing of all about it though: how does hatchback count as a "sedan"???

[ducatinova]

The Honda N600 was not a hatchback. it had a boot like a original Mini. if you look close you can see the hinges just below the rear window. It was a saloon/sedan.

[sweetwater88]

Man these little cars were total deathtraps when they came out.

[ducatinova]

early Honda's rusted really badly. but then again, so did every other brand. The Japanese just seemed to use thinner steel.

[NitroGadvRules]

@ducatinova they still have rust problems lol. The toyota tundras been recalled like 10 times for it in the past decade.

[fenix144]

@ducatinova prolly to keep the weeight down.

[WunderDoob]

0:49

OMG THE JAPANESE ARE COMING!

lol

[Lvaneede]

I have a 1970 model N360. Its the coolest.

[idkyoo]

i want one =D

[12valvepower1]

i wanna put a hayabusa motor or a honda k20 vtec motor in a s600

[DukeFilmsInc]

However I love these little guys :)

[12valvepower1]

never ever rear end a ford pinto.

[DukeFilmsInc]

I think I hit one of these with my truck...at first I thought a moth hit my grill.

[archerrobinhood]

that makes a good aircraft engine :)

[cuico345]

Fucking shitty Hondas!

[gumdokim]

i want one! they look like mini coopers. thought it was cool 40 miles to the gallon!

[lonnestal]

Go Chryler....

[pf126p]

Would be for me too if they got off their duffs and made a wagon, in AWD. Till then I've got my Legacy. And a FIAT 126p for fun. xD

[bigdaddyx2009]

My friend had one in 1980 and got it stuck between rail road tracks it had 10 inch tire. It was really a trip to ride in.

[imscubasteve42]

The best thing about this car is that it is what the new "fuel efficient" cars are trying to be-and this is from 1971! They then released the Insight early '90s. Honda is always so ahead of their time.

[Klottelitsch]

That is such a beautiful small car look at todays small cars like smart etc..they are all ugly....this little Honda is elegant and funny to wach. Its also a real piece of high tech, it has a super high performance 36HP engine...dont lough it only has 360cc motorcycle engine but thats enough and it safes fuel.

By the way you cant even damage the engine if you revv it all the day long with 10.000 RPM its a motorcycle sports engine. Allmost unfailable. :)

[pf126p]

Are you sure about the 360 ccs? My little FIAT has 24 bhp and 652 ccs...

[krisdahl258]

These have 600 cc motors. Before this they did have the N360, but it was never sold in the United States.

[explodee3]

the begining of the end for the big 3

[accordguy0325]

yes- but unfortunately thanks to the Obama administration we're all going to pay to keep them alive to produce cars only the government will buy.

[cclovesyoutoob]

GM makes awesome cars, so does Ford. Their new lineup is full of cool new cars like the 2010 Mustand, Lincoln MKS, and Chevy's Camaro. Don't diss Amercain manufacturers!

[accordguy0325]

I see from your profile page- that you're a big Moe- hence the HRC video and rainbow flag in your favorites.

I am a Moe as well, and you obviously love American Steel which is certainly your right.

I however prefer Japanese engineering, and thus won't be buying a Government Motors car.

[darlena1956]

I agree, the government owning a car company is a big turn off.

[fenix144]

@cclovesyoutoob you can't spell american properly. your comment is irrelevant.

[Seattlecarnut]

Normally, I hate commercials, but this commercial actually looks like fun to watch. Makes me want to go out and buy a 71 Honda 600 sedan or coupe.

[Interests2009]

That's the same music used in 'Deep Throat'.

[lefreak79]

Those were the cutest little cars, especially the 1972 "porthole window" one. They were all stick shift, unfortunately . . . that's why I didn't get one. There's an orange one on permanent display at a Honda dealership on the San Francisco peninsula. Cute as a bug's ear.

AL IN LA

[Interests2009]

Agreed. A local dealership in my area has a yellow 1972 one. Those things look a lot like golf carts and are slow as heck compared to vehicles like this they make today.

[yousawthis]

put a k swap in this

[HondaCivicfantic]

canada cars suck

[gchav002]

That little Honda if Cool. BTW for those of you that think you know, but are still living in 1978. American cars are are only American because they are Built in North America (Mexico and Brazil among others)Using North American (Canadian) and Japanese parts. Don't take my word for it. LOOK IT UP!

[Lumotaku]

Thats not a sedan its a coupe!

[carloscabrera08]

Maybe America should get around to making quality products that are worth buying instead of guilting people into buying poorly made goods. When this car came out, it should have been the beginning of the Americans being challenged, not whining about someone doing it better...and yes, I'm an American.

[Lumotaku]

what are you talking about retard. yes thats what you are . American cars have and always will be the best its all I drive they are all i will ever drive. My 78 T bird is better built than any of todays cars and that is when quality contol was susposed to be at its worst. This little honda here is a neat toy you couldnt pay me to own it.

[fenix144]

@Lumotaku maybe you should buy a today's car to realise you're utterly wrong

[87chevyelcamino]

@carloscabrera08 You do know that the belief that Asian cars are superior is a myth dont you?

[fenix144]

@87chevyelcamino it isnt. except for this year. for the first time in 24 years american carmakers have caught up with the asians in terms of build quality and reliability. that means they've been inferior for 24 years. not much of a myth there.

[MiracleMileV8]

@fenix144: The Japanese are starting to screw a bit though...........Hyundais, except maybe the Tiburon, were POSes until a couple of years ago.{don't know about pre-1997 models, though. Maybe they weren't quite as bad............in fact, some of their early models were rebranded Mitsubishis so there is some hope ;-).}

[fenix144]

@MiracleMileV8 agreed

[nothingnew123]

@MiracleMileV8 Hyundai, Daewoo, and Kia are Korean, not Japanese

[MiracleMileV8]

@nothingnew123: Never said they were. =) 

[GmTruckCarLove]

@carloscabrera08 And how do you think our car's are crappy?

[MiracleMileV8]

@carloscabrera08: We were making some really decent cars up until 1978 or so..........then we kinda faltered for a little while.

Japanese imports are good now, but they were stellar about 30-35 years ago{Too bad nobody really bothered to take care of them, though. =(}..........as for Korea? Not nearly as reliable as J.D. Power would have us believe, and don't get me started on fasci........*ahem* I mean, COMMUNIST China.

[miamad]

@carloscabrera08 You're an idiot. The top rated cars for quality, as rated in the most recent and independent surveys... are American.

[wq1299]

@carloscabrera08 Ford and GM still outsell all the rest, so what's your point?? Maybe you have not driven a Ford lately, but if you ever do you will be quite surprised.

[curtuvious]

Everyone is complaining about not having a job, well this is the start right here. How can people drive foreign cars, and wear foreign, clothes, shoes, watches, etc. and complain about not having a job. It is all you fault. American all the way!!!!!!!

[bagelboi66]

I have to agree. Asian cars are fine automobiles and the people who drive them seem very contented, but I prefer driving an American car, Pontiac to be exact. Besides every dollar we can keep in N. America these days can't hurt any of us. No disrespect to any foreign make, I just prefer American.

[fenix144]

@bagelboi66 you have the right to prefer american man :) it all comes down to opinion anyway. I prefer japanese. my first car was a civic and it was neat. i do like some american cars. I'd sure get a corvette or camaro but as a daily drive and cool compact car i prefer japanese.

[zomgthesoftness]

Y'know, it's actually worse off for us if we all buy American only. Just ask any economist.

[fahrer4184]

Indeed. If we insist on buying only our domestic product, then foreign markets might insist on buying only their domestic product.

It's a global economy and has been for years.

But these Confederate-flag-waving inbred rednecks are too stupid to understand that.

[mpc516]

But they're the ones who are building the so-called "imports" in right-to-work states, mainly in the south.

[pf126p]

Heh heh. Back in the day, "import" meant Volkswagen. ;)

[fenix144]

@curtuvious well complain to the american companies that move to china and those other countries to keep the production costs down.

[duncan36]

People used to laugh at Japanese cars in the early 70's. They're not laughing anymore.

[folgers69]

that was kind of wierd and a good display of what we should do now!!

[DiscoKat]

I highly doubt those things could do 0-60 in 22 seconds. A 6-cylinder Dodge Dart took about 20 to do 0-60. More like 2 minutes, 20 seconds for a Honda to hit 0-60. They were crap! They were built from recycled, untreated steel! You could sit in a Honda dealership back then and listen to the cars rust!

I'd rather have a Gremlin than a Honda!

[boulejazz]

I owned a new 1970 Honda 600 for 10 years and it was a blast to drive; like a go cart. I could easily outrun VW bugs in the 1/4 mile and I never had a bit of rust for the ten years I had it. I put 120,000+ miles on the car and sold it for close to what I originally paid for it. It was cheap and fun.Beat that!!

[Nikovercetti]

this thing isn't fast...but it's safe gas for our world...just thinking positively..

[PeturrD]

Ill take one for that price!! hahah nice fun and NEW little winter beater

[gopconservative78]

I bet this car is still more reliable than Ford, GM, and Chrysler can offer now

[bagelboi66]

That is a very unpatriotic statement to make. Kick the domestic auto industry when it's down. Is that the GOP way?

[z1rider]

Oh and one more thing, I can't believe anyone would describe it as "fast". Here's the spec, the 0-60 and the quarter mile times were the same, about 22 seconds or so. And the "trap" speed was of course 60 MPH. Slow by any measure.

[z1rider]

I bought a 600 sedan new in 1973, and a friend bought a used one a few months later. Make no mistake, they were not reliable or durable cars. They were unsuited to American roads and speeds. I still own mine and was given the other one for use as a parts car.

[saggo1712]

I had a 69 model for 32 000 miles. It was surprisingly fast. I recall seeing an indicated 90mph down a long hill once. It sounded like an enraged cicada at any speed and at over 50mph listening to the radio was pointless but gosh it was a great little car. It never gave any trouble unlike my friends Morris Mini which be bought at the same time.

[djkenny]

Friends in high school kept trading a orange one from one to another. I managed to sit in the front seat. It was a cute and cool car. Would love to have one. My 87 turbo Chevy Sprint is fun and small to, plus much quicker with similar MPG.

[Sugarbehr1967]

Be that as it may, it was a premonition of things to come...I remember sitting in line with my parents waiting for gas for our '68 Ford Galaxie 500...the Japanese seemed to have predicted this way before it happened..probably why the Japanese are still outselling us today..

[Watcher3223]

Not really a prediction but a matter of having the right product for the right time.

Fuel and space were more valuable commodities in Japan, so small cars made sense there. When the oil crisis hit, Japanese automakers already had cars that would work.

Plus they had many years experience building these kinds of cars because, again, that's what their own market demanded.

[Sugarbehr1967]

Actually, at the time we were going through a fuel crunch..and no matter how well built the American cars were..they were sucking us dry..similar to what we are going through now, don't you think?

[otterhead45]

yeah , and no us carmaker can make a decent 4 cyl still , m a y b e ford...but...

[baysadaye]

There was no "fuel crunch" when the 600,commonly known as "the Honda car" was introduced. Gas was readily available for under 35 cents per gallon. The fuel shortage began in 1973.

[colibri1]

That is a crucial point that people don't seem to be aware of. The move toward subcompacts in the US began around '71, with the introductions of the Ford Pinto, Chevrolet Vega, AMC Gremlin, Plymouth Cricket, etc. As you note, a couple of years before the "fuel crunch" and motivated largely by environmental considerations. An even earlier wave of popular US compact introductions was in the early 60s, with cars like the Ford Falcon, Plymouth Valiant, and Chevrolet Corvair, among many other models.

[colibri1]

baysadaye is right. The wave of US subcompacts began in 1971, following on the late 60s success of Volkswagens, Datsuns, and Toyotas. The Honda here was part of that. There doesn't have to be a crisis for people, even rich people, to be motivated by efficiency.

[otterhead44]

i think this and the cvcc (civic eventually) were the first 2 imported . sold a few too

[Watcher3223]

The CVCC was strictly an engine technology, short for Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion.

The Civic was introduced after the Z600.

[STEPHI571]

WHAT ? No chemtrails or creepy sounds? I had forgotten car commercials didn't always terrorize us.....That is cute.

[Sugarbehr1967]

If American automakers could promise reliability and economy, and WORKMANSHIP like the Japanese, we wouldn't have to import...as it stands now, 90% of all cars sold today are imports..tells you how reliable we have become..

[phguy76]

Honda and Suzuki should only making motor cycles or lawn mowers. At the most, only ATV should be imported, no automobiles.

[TheGregWoodBand]

The music must have been done by the sesame street band LOL, my brother had a dark green sedan, great video.

[6brookers]

I had one in 79 loved it. My friends would pick it up to turn me around because it was so small

[colibri1]

I remember when these were introduced in the US. Before that, Honda only sold motorcycles here, and as a small kid I thought the cars were small because the manufacturers were so used to building motorcycles. I was only 5.

[joh2]

Yes they are right that its sedan, but it has styling that looks as if it should have been a hatch!

Actually Subaru was selling cars in the US earlier than that - although the Subarus being sold then were weird looking rear-engined microcars that looked like a shrunken VW Beetle!!!

[kaptainkidshow]

joh2... Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Subaru cars were only sold on the west coast of the US in the 1960s. The Subaru importer was none other than Malcolm Bricklin, who is now gearing up for the import of China's "Chery" car into the States. (Do a search for "Bricklin" and "Chery" for some interesting YouTube videos.)

[joh2]

Yes kaptain, you are right - Malcolm Bricklin ambitiously formed "Subaru of America" to sell the Subaru 360 - that venture turned to custard once it was seen by Consumer Reports magazine how unsafe the vehicles were!

[oasiejiun]

my dad got a blue one

[scoutie101]

I want one! Up to 40 mph and only $1545!

[GadJetSLC]

My last one was stolen by a "friend" who was storing it but I just got another and can't wait to get it on the road, watch out! Huzzah!!

[white93taurusgl]

Love the commercial. Used to love when TVLand would show this commercial. Those cars sure were ugly though.

[PeerlessPaavo]

First time I saw one was in a Pontiac dealership around '72 or '73.

Looked like a toy.

Within two or three years of this commercial, this car would come in mighty handy.

[sortashaman]

Yes, Honda hit it about right when they introduced the Civic as a 1973 model, in time for the '73-'74 oil embargo. The Civic was at the top of EPA's fuel economy list for 1974, as I recall. Our local Honda/Toyota dealer owns a Honda S600 sports car in cherry condition; looks like fun!

[IncubusStar]

I am so glad I own one! a 1970 w/blue and it has the rare red interior!!!

[600miles]

I plan to shoot some how to Fix It Honda 600 videos pretty soon. I think B.C. has an AA600 (automatic), none were sold in the USA, but were brought in for testing. Half of the blue shop manual is repairs for the Automatic trans.

[smittykins]

Was that a column-mounted stick shift I saw?(Somehow, I don't think Hondas came with automatics that early!)

[krisdahl258]

It is a dash mounted stick shift... feels pretty strange as it twists rather than pivots.

Hondamatic was out in the early 70s as well, but the 600's I think were all manuals.

[Drivermatic]

Great ad....and very modern for its time. I don't think these ads ran on the East Coast. We had one Honda car dealer in the Boston Area in 1971.