Honda Motor Co. is one of the greatest success stories of the post war motor industry. Soichiro Honda began making piston rings for the aircraft industry in the late 1930s. The flourishing factory was completely destroyed by bombing during WWII.
In 1946, he started a new business from scratch making motor-assisted bicycles. His twelve workers built 50cc 2-stroke engines tuned to use raw pine resin fuel–all that
was available at the time. By 1958, Honda was the first motorcycle maker to sell more than one million machines in a year, and by 1962, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles. This was also the year they introduced cars. The s600 was the first car Honda sold in Europe; it was not officially imported to the United States. It was offered as a convertible (weighing 1,576 pounds) or a coupe (the extra sheet metal added 33 pounds.)
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Honda Motor Co. Ltd.
Country of Origin: Japan
Drivetrain Configuration: Front engine, rear wheel drive
Engine: 606cc, 4 cylinder, 4-stroke, water cooled, 9500 RPM redline
Transmission: 4 speed and reverse
Top Speed: 90 miles per hour
Years of Production: 1964-66
Number Produced: 13,034
Original Cost: 509,000 Yen
A Note About the Display of Our Collection
Thank you for viewing our collection online! Please note that our collection contains over 330 cars and motorcycles though we only have room to display approximately 150 at a time. Therefore, the item you are viewing may not be on display when you visit the museum in person.
