Micro Monster: 1972 Honda Z600
You do have to wonder where car enthusiasts come up with the ideas for their next creations. For some, it’s a love of a specific type of car culture – such as Monster Trucks – that they want to emulate. For others, it’s a love of the small, the microcars which were ubiquitous in the 1960s and 70s. However, for others, they want to mash these two automotive cultures together to create what can only be described as bizarre but brilliant. So welcome to today’s wonderful find, here on Craigslist – it is of course a micro 1972 Honda Z600 mated to a Samurai chassis and available for just $7000 in Portland, Oregon. Big thanks to Kendra for this wild find!
Now our seller doesn’t leave us with much information about the car, a mere 3 lines. But we do know that this is built on a Samurai Chassis and has a massive 2.6l V6 hidden underneath the tiny Honda body. Honda’s original Z600 was an economical car and one of the Japanese automaker’s first forays into the US market and had a tiny 598cc engine powering the little car up to a top speed of 81mph with a massive 45hp. Our creation here today rather blows that apart. For the Samurai chassis, we can only assume that they are talking about the Suzuki Samurai, a ladder chassis used for Monster truck conversions.
Moving onto what your get for your $7000, the body of the Honda is in reasonable condition from a distance, with some minor dusty parts above the headlight but with no major dings or dents apparent in the photos. The interior leaves a lot to be desired as it looks like it’s had a hard life, as well as being pulled about in the conversion process. In fact, it probably just needs a clean and a bit of tightening up to make this better. However, if you were considering going off-roading with this beast, then I would probably replace the current seats which have no side support.
Other conversions to make this a little safer would be the addition of proper seat harnesses. As it sits now, it even looks like there are no seatbelts at all. There is a cage on the outside of the car which helps with the look and protects the occupants in the event of a rollover. On the 4 corners are massive tires ready for some serious trails. This would be a great car to take down to the trails with your buddies in their Jeeps and it would really stand out. But are you brave enough to take this on and prove that the tiny Honda can be a proper off-road machine?
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Comments
Well, if you lived in Colorado, you wouldn’t wonder where the ideas come from. Aside from help from Mother Nature, the mountains do attract a more, shall we say, creative type. Say what might be said, I could actually use this thing. Here, the farther back in the hills you go, the worse the roads get, if you can call them that. To the point of literally rock climbing. Too much for my YJ ( for fear of breaking something, then having to fix broken item) and have considered an ATV, just to back to some of the places. The only merit of the bad trails is it keeps out the 30ft gooseneck monstrosities, even though, some idiots still try. It’s a long way to back, and I’ve seen it. This is all for fun, an actual good use for these cars. The “ROPS” looks kind of hoaky, and where this thing will go, a winch would be a plus, hey, some folks spend $15gs on ATVs today which makes this a bargain,,kind of. I think it’s cool.
Too cool fer skool.The shortie wheelbase, the tires and the height have me thinking rollover in any turn over 5 mph. Hence the tubular cage. What do I know!
Mad maxx called. He wants his kids car back lmao
This thing just looks like fun
The mud flaps are a nice touch….
I can’t figure out if it’s trying to be safe or dangerous.
Man they must have good weed in Colorado!! 😂😂
No. A hard NO.
This would be a cool toy. Of all the engines to use why did they use a chevy 2.8? Ruins it for me
My ‘82 S10 had the 2.8 and it never gave me a speck of trouble.
Mine caught fire at 175k. Didn’t know they had them in the s10. Thought they were all 4.3. But, that might give insight as to why it was used. Probably swapped the running gear out of a rusty s10. I don’t hate the engine per se, just seems like not the best choice when you go to all the trouble. I guy down the street has a samarai and you can hear him coming from a mile away he’s got it revved out to hit 50 mph.
This is a fast and easy pass.
When I came to this posting, I laughed out loud. Then, I said, I WANT that thing!
Had one of these and commuted to San Fran with it. Waldo Grade was a bit of a test but did much better than my diesel VW pickup… Wish I still had the Z600 and would get another one if it presented well. This thing would be a blast in the snow or on the sand. Keeping the rubber side down would be a challenge though. Close to home… may have to check it out!