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. It was also briefly sold in the domestic Japanese market, however, where it went on sale in July 1968 as the
N600E. 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 to
kei cars even though it was as small as one. The larger engine meant that the spare tire had to be moved from its usual position in the engine room to being underslung at the rear of the car. Just seven months after road testing the N360, Britain's
Motor magazine tested a Honda N600 in November 1968. They reported that it had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0- in 19 seconds. An overall fuel consumption of was achieved. The test car was priced in the UK at £589 including taxes, at a time when the
Mini 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. The car was thus faster than the achieved by rival magazine
Autocar in an N360 in May 1968, and more than ten seconds quicker to which the N360 achieved in 29.3 seconds. Consistent with its slower performance, the N360 squeezed 3 extra miles out of a (UK) gallon of fuel, managing an overall . 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 a
dead axle on leaf springs. The N600 (along with the
TN360 kei truck), were the first Honda cars to be assembled outside Japan, with production in Taiwan by local joint venture
Sanyang Industrial beginning in 1969. US sales stopped in 1972, as did those of the sportier
Honda Z600 (or Z, depending on country), after about 25,000 sales of the N600. The first-generation
Honda Civic replaced the N models.
Serial Number N600-1000001 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 for endurance testing, then collected and crushed at a local scrapyard across the street from the American Honda 1960s headquarters. 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 of
American 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 the
Petersen Automotive Museum collection in 2018. Honda documented the restoration in a series of videos. ==Legacy==