Hot Zot. Honda Z360 Hardtop Microcar

I've never been especially concerned about fashion and styles in cars, music or anything. I'm the typical "I dunno art, but I know what I like" kind of guy. When I said I liked Dire Straits in year 4, the class as one made an "eeeeeeeewwwwwwww" noise and scrunched their faces as if they'd just licked a lemon-flavoured arsehole. When I said I liked KISS, they all laughed. Even my teacher. But I didn't care, I knew that I was right and they were missing out.
Anyway fast forward a few years to a small farm shed on the outskirts of the country town I grew up in. I am standing, looking at this incredibly small purple Honda. I knew I had seen them before (a guy in high school had one) but I had never realised how cool they were. Now, here's where you say "ewww", ready? I was totally in awe of the pretty little Honda Z360 Hardtop. Derisive verbalisation over, let me explain.

These were the predecessor to the first series Civic which came in 1974-5.
Old matey Soichiro Honda wanted to use the motorbike knowledge that his company had to make some small cars with air-cooled engines for the masses.
In 1971 the world was introduced to the gorgeous (eeewwww) Z360 Hardtop with its tiny 360cc engine pumping out an Earth-shattering 23kW. The air-cooled car continued until 1973 when the water-cooled engines were introduced only to cease production late in 1974 which was when the Civic came to life.
There was also a Z600 which was a Z360 with a bigger, you guessed it, 600cc engine. Other Hondas that shared the engines around the same time were the Scamp, Life, and the boxtastic Step van.

I still haven't found one for myself yet, as I have to do something with the cars I already have, but when I get one I know it'll be a ripper!!!

Plans include a large capacity bike engine, cage and flairs like the blue one below which was for sale on my105 recently.

Here are some awesome examples, and if you are into the old Nippon classics check out Japanese Nostalgic Car, as well as the crazy carbon Z600.













No doubt the Darth Vadar carbon-fibre Z600 looks the business, but for me the blue Zot/Z360 below converted for road use is the epitome of a hot pre-Kei Japanese classic.

Awsome Z360 with mid-mounted 1300cc Suzuki GTI engine