The Honda N360 is a front-engine front-wheel-drive kei or city car, manufactured by Honda as two-door sedans and three-door wagons from 1967 to 1972. This two-box car could seat two passengers. It was among the first models produced by the Japanese automaker after it ventured into the automobile industry in the 1950s.
The N360 came at around the same time as the S800 and preceded the Z models. It premiered at the 1966 Tokyo Motor Show and went on sale in its home market in 1967. Honda marketed it according to Japan’s kei car regulations. Production took place at Honda’s assembly plants in Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
It came by several names, including LN360, N400, LN400, N600, and 600. The Australian consumer knew it as the Scamp. The first facelift happened in 1970 with the version called NIII360, which stayed in production until 1972.
The N360’s transverse-mounted FF layout would later be used for future models, not only its direct successor Z360 and Life, but also its microcar/subcompact version the N600, H1300, and the highly successful Civic to name a few.
The N360 Versions
The standard N360 is a two-door sedan fitted with an air-cooled 354cc N360E four-stroke, two-cylinder petrol engine that achieved peak output of 23 kW (power) and 41 Nm (torque) and could reach top speeds of 105km/h. The N360AT was the first kei car to come equipped with automatic transmission. In Australia, the Scamp came with either 2-speed auto transmission or 4-speed manual gearbox.
The three-door wagon, classed as a commercial vehicle in Japan, earned the moniker “light van” and the code LN360. It has a horizontally divided rear gate but still shared the same engine and other features as the sedan.
One interesting fact about the N360 is that it was a completely new concept. It did not share a chassis with any Honda model. It aimed to appeal to people who wanted a car that was affordable, reliable, and easy to maintain.
Honda Life succeeded N360 but did not inherit its air-cooled engine, instead featuring a water-cooled engine.
Honda produced several versions and updates, including N400, a model powered by a 402cc N400E I2 petrol engine. Another updated model was N360 TS, which had a peak power rating of 27kW.
The N600
There was also the N600, a larger engine variant of the N360, which was going to be the first car that Honda marketed in the USA. Although all N360 complied with Japan's kei car dimensional regulations, there were larger capacity engines that didn’t. The engine in the N600, an all-alloy 598cc N600E 2-cylinder petrol engine with peak power of 27-34kW, was capable of attaining 130km/h. Its fuel consumption was a low 5.8L/100km. This car, when pitted with others produced during that period, was technologically advanced.
Some of N360’s interesting features would be its Hondamatic automatic transmission offered as an option at the time, flow-through ventilation and rear air vents. Finding these parts would be a dream but not impossible if you have the right connections. Contact Carpart, and we will help you find an N360 or N600 car parts seller in Australia.
-Eric Anyega