Original story by Tony Davis first published in Drive on 8 May, 1998
Anyone who took even a brief look at the minuscule Honda Z would be hard pressed to believe the company that made it would one day be a dominant force in almost every branch of motorsport, and a respected maker of large luxury cars and Ferrari-like sports machines.
Indeed, the casual observer might very well have laughed out loud and taken a bet on how quickly the Honda car would join such other Japanese automotive failures as the Cony Guppy and Paddle PD33.
There was, after all, something frankly ridiculous about the Honda's combination of zany curves, upswept waistline, television screen rear window, sports car interior and lawnmower-size engine.
Launched here in late 1971, the front-drive Z looked as outrageous as the Monaros, Chargers and other sports machines of the day, yet was less than 3 metres long and only 1.3 metres wide.
The Z was based on the mechanical components of the Honda Scamp, a sort of Japanese Mini, first seen here in 1968. The Scamp had set new standards for noisiness, yet had surprised people with its performance from an engine less than half the size of the Mini’s (the Scamp had just 356cc up its sleeve).
As with the Scamp (pictured below), the Z package owed its existence to the Japanese domestic tax regime, which allowed special concessions to 360cc micro class cars.
In 1970s prose, Australian Motor Manual called the Z the “the most way-out micro yet”. Modern Motor explained the Z was “basically a Scamp with a groovy body”, adding “the cheeky little bomb takes the impudence stakes by a long nose”.
That Japanese marketers had yet to master hyperbole was shown by a brochure which boasted a “quite spacious interior” and “quite enough power to assure adequate speeds”. There was also the very cautious “If you consider it carefully, you’re quite likely to find this Honda can fill your motoring needs most adequately”.
Australians asked what the Z stood for. Local importers arbitrarily decided on ‘Zot’ and local advertisements urged people to “Zot down the road to buy a Honda Z”.
The Z’s screaming two-cylinder engine revved to nearly 10,000rpm and cranked out 23kW (not bad from a third of a litre!). The car weighed only 525kg.
If you could stand the noise, the Z could zip comfortably along with the traffic, reaching a top speed of 105km/h. But it took its time to get there. The standing quarter mile required about 25 seconds – and you still had to wait another 5 seconds or so to reach 100km/h.
The early Zots had air-cooling; a water-cooled, twin carburettor engine came later. Equipment levels were high, though the quality and reliability that would eventually make Japanese cars legendary were still far from a standard inclusion.
Many Honda Zs tended to rattle their panels loose (wouldn’t you if you spent most of your life at 9500 rpm?) and even unglued their back windows.
And when mechanical wear reared its ugly head, the cost of fixing the relatively complex powerplant often outstripped the value of the car (the Lilliputian engine case also contained the gearbox and differential).
Nonetheless, at a bargain $1679 the Z quickly became the most successful Honda four-wheeler sold in Australia to date. It was a minor achievement if you look at its oddball forebears but it was the start of bigger and better things.
In early 1973 Honda launched the Civic and intensified its drive to become more sophisticated and more mainstream.
The company suddenly seemed a little embarrassed by the cheerfully goofy image presented by the Z. Australian sales stopped before the year was out. Tony Davis, May 1998
The lasting legacy of the Honda Z
It’s easy to forget that when the Honda Z landed in Australia, the Japanese brand had only been building cars for less than a decade.
The Japanese brand’s first four-wheelers were a tiny 360cc pickup truck (T360) and a 500c roadster (S500). Always ambitious, Honda followed up its 1963 car debut by entering Formula 1 in 1964 and a year later, recorded its first grand prix victory when Richie Ginther powered his RA272 to victory in the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix.
It’s hard to fathom that rapid success in the context of today, and certainly not when the first Honda Z landed locally in 1971 to curious acclaim.
Certainly, it looked like nothing else on the market and its timing to market couldn’t have been more perfect with the global oil crisis in full swing. Suddenly, big cars were out, and small, inexpensive and fuel-efficient cars were in. The Honda Z was perfectly placed.
And its diminutive dimensions hid a surprising amount of interior space, at least for those sitting in the front seats. Rear seat passengers weren’t so fortunate.
But perhaps the Z’s greatest legacy is in the imitations it spawned. Until the arrival of the Z, the kei ‘personal coupe’ segment was, not exactly non-existent, but certainly niche. That all changed following the arrival of the Honda Z.
Rivals soon followed, cars like the Mitsubishi Minica Skipper, Suzuki Fronte Coupe and Daihatsu Fellow Max picking up on the Z’s cutesy vibe. Suddenly, kei cars, more than just being practical and affordable, were fun and funky. And that still rings true today, kei cars in all their varied and glorious forms, enjoying global cult followings amongst enthusiasts.
Honda Z production tallied around 40,000 cars between 1970-74, including those exported to other markets like Australia and the US.
The end for the Z came swiftly, the launch of the Honda Civic taking the world by storm. Larger than the Z, more practical and with excellent fuel economy, the Civic answered the global oil crisis question in a manner the Z simply couldn’t. Honda, as a global automotive force, was on its way. RM
Rob Margeit is an award-winning Australian motoring journalist and editor who has been writing about cars and motorsport for over 25 years. A former editor of Australian Auto Action, Rob’s work has also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Wheels, Motor Magazine, Street Machine and Top Gear Australia. Rob’s current rides include a 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and a 2000 Honda HR-V Sport.
