Honda Z
Encyclopedia
Honda Z is the name of a two-door hatchback microcar
automobile
made by the Honda Motor Company
, first from 1970 until 1974 and again between 1998 and 2003.
The vehicle was called the "Z" followed by the size of the engine, and was included in the name and identity of the vehicle.
/city car
designed and built by Honda
sold from 1970 to 1974. US sales (only with the larger 600 cc engine) ended in 1972, well before the 1973 introduction of the Civic
. Marketed as the "sport coupé" version of the N600 "sedan", the two models were sold side by side at American motorcycle dealerships until the first stand-alone dealers opened with the Civic on their lots. Total production was 40,586 units . The car was first introduced in October 1970.
The export name of this car, the Z600, simply reflected the engine's size of 598 cc. The smaller-engined Honda Z360 was available in Japan (and other markets, such as Australia) with a 354 cc twin. The "Z" designation was resurrected in 1998 and was discontinued again in 2003.
As with all cars in the Kei
class, the Z360's specifications were tightly governed. The Z360 originally featured an air-cooled, 354 cc, 2-cylinder engine with a 4- or 5-speed transmission driving the front wheels. Outputs were 31 PS at 8,500 rpm for the Act and Pro versions, and 36 PS at an astronomical 9,000 rpm for the sportier TS and GS models. The Z600 model's 598 cc engine was rated at 36 PS. In December 1971, the Z360 received a facelift and a water-cooled engine, it too producing 36 PS at 9,000 rpm. Only a month later, the 31 PS engine used in the lower spec variants (Standard, Deluxe, Automatic, Custom) also became water-cooled.
One car magazine recording 136 mpgimp when they didn't exceed 30 mile per hour, which came at almost the perfect time with a gasoline shortage looming.
Despite its small size and low-powered engine, the Z had no problem maintaining freeway speeds and serving its purpose as a commuter. The only frequent complaint about the car was that it had a very harsh ride, which was largely due to its short wheelbase. The interior fit two adults comfortably, though the back seat was not nearly so accommodating.
The car featured an opening rear glass hatch surrounded by a thick black plastic surround, leading to nicknames such as "TV-set" and "swimming goggles". The hatch revealed a small, shallow cargo area. Below the cargo area was a locker that was accessed via a hatch hidden behind the number plate. This locker contained the spare wheel and tools. Later versions, after a November 1972 facelift, dispensed with this extra gate and were also of a pillarless design. These also received the new EA engine of 356 cc, now only available in a more powerful, 36 PS version.
Front suspension was coil sprung and independent; the rear has leaf springs on a beam axle. The primitive rear suspension contributed to the relatively poor handling of the vehicles. In the UK the Z600 was only available in orange with a black stripe up the side.
A Honda Z prominently featured in the Australian film Malcolm
as a get-away car that split into two.
-styled subcompact
(656 cc) SUV by Honda Motor Company
, introduced in 1998 and discontinued in autumn 2002.
Launched on October 9 1998 the PA1 Honda Z was manufactured for Honda by Yachiyo Industry Co, a Honda subsidiary manufacturing light trucks. The basic structure of the Z, including it's midship-mounted engine placement and 4WD drivetrain was shared with its Honda Acty
sibling. Unlike the Acty though, it was a four-seater passenger car which also meant that it had to pass passenger car safety standards. The 656 cc E07Z three-cylinder engine was available in a naturally aspirated as well as in a turbocharged variant.
The Z was only ever available with a four-speed automatic transmission, the same that was used on the EF Honda Civic
s. The centrally mounted engine was placed in an upright position underneath the rear seat, a layout called "UM-4" (stands for Under Midship 4WD) by Honda. Engine oil changes and minor maintenance work is done through an interior door. As with other mid-engined, four-wheel-drive vehicles, such as the Lamborghini Diablo VT, a viscous
center differential was used. Some noteworthy and unusual design features of the Z included the comparatively large-diameter tires, chunky "grip-style" door handles, and the adoption of perspex double-cover headlights.
While the Honda Capa
was the first car in the "J-Mover" series, the third generation Life and new Honda Z made up the "K-Mover" series. Famous rock group ZZ Top
made the introductory commercial, including a song and video ("ZZ Top on the Z"). Since the car's name has always been pronounced "zed" (ゼット) by Honda, in the British fashion, the Americans in ZZ Top had to follow suit.
In June 2000 a special "Super Emotion" package appeared, with body-colored bumpers, CD player with speakers and tinted glass for a small extra cost. This proved so popular that body colored bumpers were soon made standard on turbo models. In August 2002, with stricter exhaust emission about to take effect, Honda ended production of the Z. This was to be Honda's first and last SUV Kei-car. Honda also sold a side mounted step and wheel-arch protector, but these were only for after-market fitment as they made the car too wide for kei
regulations and were not crash tested. The naturally aspirated version had 52 PS at 7,000 rpm, while the turbocharged and intercooled version pushed out 64 PS at 6,000 rpm. The engine had four valves per cylinder, Honda's PGM-FI fuel injection system, and were classified as LEV
s.
Microcar
A microcar is the smallest automobile classification usually applied to standard small car . Such small cars were generally referred to as cyclecars until the 1940s. More recent models are also called bubblecars due to their egg-shaped appearance.-Definition:The definition of a microcar has varied...
automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
made by the Honda Motor Company
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
, first from 1970 until 1974 and again between 1998 and 2003.
The vehicle was called the "Z" followed by the size of the engine, and was included in the name and identity of the vehicle.
First generation
The two-door Honda Z was a kei carKei car
Kei cars, K-cars, or , are a Japanese category of small vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They are designed to comply with Japanese government tax and insurance regulations, and in most rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is...
/city car
City car
A city car is a small car intended for use primarily in an urban area.City cars are sold worldwide and most automotive industry manufacturers have one or two in their line-up. In North-America city cars are often referred to simply as "subcompacts" alongside the superminis. These kind of cars...
designed and built by Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
sold from 1970 to 1974. US sales (only with the larger 600 cc engine) ended in 1972, well before the 1973 introduction of the Civic
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...
. Marketed as the "sport coupé" version of the N600 "sedan", the two models were sold side by side at American motorcycle dealerships until the first stand-alone dealers opened with the Civic on their lots. Total production was 40,586 units . The car was first introduced in October 1970.
The export name of this car, the Z600, simply reflected the engine's size of 598 cc. The smaller-engined Honda Z360 was available in Japan (and other markets, such as Australia) with a 354 cc twin. The "Z" designation was resurrected in 1998 and was discontinued again in 2003.
As with all cars in the Kei
Kei car
Kei cars, K-cars, or , are a Japanese category of small vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They are designed to comply with Japanese government tax and insurance regulations, and in most rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is...
class, the Z360's specifications were tightly governed. The Z360 originally featured an air-cooled, 354 cc, 2-cylinder engine with a 4- or 5-speed transmission driving the front wheels. Outputs were 31 PS at 8,500 rpm for the Act and Pro versions, and 36 PS at an astronomical 9,000 rpm for the sportier TS and GS models. The Z600 model's 598 cc engine was rated at 36 PS. In December 1971, the Z360 received a facelift and a water-cooled engine, it too producing 36 PS at 9,000 rpm. Only a month later, the 31 PS engine used in the lower spec variants (Standard, Deluxe, Automatic, Custom) also became water-cooled.
One car magazine recording 136 mpgimp when they didn't exceed 30 mile per hour, which came at almost the perfect time with a gasoline shortage looming.
Despite its small size and low-powered engine, the Z had no problem maintaining freeway speeds and serving its purpose as a commuter. The only frequent complaint about the car was that it had a very harsh ride, which was largely due to its short wheelbase. The interior fit two adults comfortably, though the back seat was not nearly so accommodating.
The car featured an opening rear glass hatch surrounded by a thick black plastic surround, leading to nicknames such as "TV-set" and "swimming goggles". The hatch revealed a small, shallow cargo area. Below the cargo area was a locker that was accessed via a hatch hidden behind the number plate. This locker contained the spare wheel and tools. Later versions, after a November 1972 facelift, dispensed with this extra gate and were also of a pillarless design. These also received the new EA engine of 356 cc, now only available in a more powerful, 36 PS version.
Front suspension was coil sprung and independent; the rear has leaf springs on a beam axle. The primitive rear suspension contributed to the relatively poor handling of the vehicles. In the UK the Z600 was only available in orange with a black stripe up the side.
A Honda Z prominently featured in the Australian film Malcolm
Malcolm (film)
Malcolm is a 1986 Australian cult film, written by David Parker and directed by Nadia Tass. The film stars Colin Friels as the titular tram enthusiast who becomes involved with petty crime. The film won the 1986 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Film.At the start of the film Malcolm is...
as a get-away car that split into two.
Second generation
The Honda Z was a retroRetro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
-styled subcompact
Subcompact car
Subcompact car is a North American term used to describe automobiles whose class size is smaller than that of a compact car, usually not exceeding in length, but larger than a microcar...
(656 cc) SUV by Honda Motor Company
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
, introduced in 1998 and discontinued in autumn 2002.
Launched on October 9 1998 the PA1 Honda Z was manufactured for Honda by Yachiyo Industry Co, a Honda subsidiary manufacturing light trucks. The basic structure of the Z, including it's midship-mounted engine placement and 4WD drivetrain was shared with its Honda Acty
Honda Acty
- External links :*****...
sibling. Unlike the Acty though, it was a four-seater passenger car which also meant that it had to pass passenger car safety standards. The 656 cc E07Z three-cylinder engine was available in a naturally aspirated as well as in a turbocharged variant.
The Z was only ever available with a four-speed automatic transmission, the same that was used on the EF Honda Civic
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...
s. The centrally mounted engine was placed in an upright position underneath the rear seat, a layout called "UM-4" (stands for Under Midship 4WD) by Honda. Engine oil changes and minor maintenance work is done through an interior door. As with other mid-engined, four-wheel-drive vehicles, such as the Lamborghini Diablo VT, a viscous
Viscous coupling unit
A viscous coupling is a mechanical device which transfers torque and rotation by the medium of a viscous fluid. It is made of a number of circular plates with tabs or perforations, fitted very close to each other in a sealed drum. Alternate plates are connected to a driving shaft at one end of the...
center differential was used. Some noteworthy and unusual design features of the Z included the comparatively large-diameter tires, chunky "grip-style" door handles, and the adoption of perspex double-cover headlights.
While the Honda Capa
Honda Capa
The Honda Capa, with the Honda series code GA4 and GA6, is a subcompact five-door hatchback produced by Honda between 1998 and 2002. It was introduced at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show as the concept car "J-MW". It was introduced for retail sale April 24, 1998...
was the first car in the "J-Mover" series, the third generation Life and new Honda Z made up the "K-Mover" series. Famous rock group ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
made the introductory commercial, including a song and video ("ZZ Top on the Z"). Since the car's name has always been pronounced "zed" (ゼット) by Honda, in the British fashion, the Americans in ZZ Top had to follow suit.
In June 2000 a special "Super Emotion" package appeared, with body-colored bumpers, CD player with speakers and tinted glass for a small extra cost. This proved so popular that body colored bumpers were soon made standard on turbo models. In August 2002, with stricter exhaust emission about to take effect, Honda ended production of the Z. This was to be Honda's first and last SUV Kei-car. Honda also sold a side mounted step and wheel-arch protector, but these were only for after-market fitment as they made the car too wide for kei
Kei car
Kei cars, K-cars, or , are a Japanese category of small vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They are designed to comply with Japanese government tax and insurance regulations, and in most rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is...
regulations and were not crash tested. The naturally aspirated version had 52 PS at 7,000 rpm, while the turbocharged and intercooled version pushed out 64 PS at 6,000 rpm. The engine had four valves per cylinder, Honda's PGM-FI fuel injection system, and were classified as LEV
Low emission vehicle
A low-emission vehicle is a motor vehicle that emits relatively low levels of motor vehicle emissions. The term may be used in a general sense, but in some countries it is defined in air quality statues....
s.