30-YEAR-OLD HONDA AZ600 INFLUENCES TODAY’S SUPER HATCH EP3 Honda Civic
On roadways crowded with gargantuan Suburban’s, Excursions and Grand Waggoneers, Jose Avila’s diminutive Honda AZ600 looks like a refugee from the set of the Disney movie about an absent-minded scientist who accidentally shrinks his kids to ant size.
The micro-coupe debuted in Japan in 1970 as the Z Coupe. A 354cc OHC air cooled twin mounted up front and driving the front wheels powered the coupe. When Honda honchos decided to bring the tiny tiny car to the Unites States in 1972, the displacement was bumped up to 598cc. Lampooned as a powered “high-top tennis shoe,” the American-badged AZ600 was lost in a sea of Chevy’s, Fords and Chrysler’s.
Recently, Tampa Honda Land invited Jose Avila to display his ’72 AZ600 next to a ’02 Civic Si. “Even though three decades separate these two cars, both share the common Honda attributes of being well engineered and fuel-efficient,” said Todd Earwood, Tampa Honda Land sales representative.
