This Honda VFR800-Powered N600 Minicar Will Blow You Away

Thanks to a VFR800 engine transplant, this miniature 1972 Honda is a real fire breather.

The innocent looking 1972 Honda N600 gives away few clues to what’s under the bonnet. It’s nothing less than a VFR800 engine in place of the 354cc twin that Honda built in the early 1970s.©Motorcyclist

Everyone loves Honda's early automobiles, and the N600, produced from 1967 through the early 1970s, combine extreme packaging efficiency and a 354cc four-stroke SOHC twin under the hood. Cute and clever? Yes. Fast? Uh, no.

Until this beast come along, anyway. Found on www.bringatrailer.com, this '72 N600 packs something you don't expect to see under the hood: The V-4 from a 1998 Honda VFR800. According to the seller, "The car is setup for fast road and autocross use, and the seller has spent several years dialing in the build. It features four wheel independent suspension based on shortened Mazda Miata components, paddle shifters for the sequential transmission and a 12k RPM redline. This is a quick N600 that is said to be capable of 127 mph and very nimble." Imagine 127 mph on a 78.7-inch wheelbase. If you're short on imagination, just check out the YouTube video below:

The VFR800-Powered Honda N600 At Its First Autocross Event:

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The ad continues: “Though only 200cc’s larger than the original engine, the water-cooled V-4 gives the Honda two extra cylinders and 300 percent of its original output. The seller notes that there is no reverse gear, though because it is lightweight opening a door and kicking the car backwards with one foot is generally adequate. A Forward-Neutral-Reverse box could be added in the drivetrain tunnel.” Best suited for buyers with a circular drive, then.

Custom bodywork, including lots of smoothing and fender flares, might lead you to think this is a visual exercise on the tiny Honda car. Resist the urge to take this guy on at a stoplight.©Motorcyclist

Beyond the VFR engine transplant, “Both front and rear bumpers are in fact narrowed rear bumpers from a ’67 Camaro. Both have integrated LED lighting, driving lights at the front and the taillights/turn signals at the rear. The build is based on a rust free ’72 N600 shell sourced in California. The front and rear glass is flush-mounted, and the seller had a new windshield made for this application as good used ones are difficult to source.”

Better hurry: The auction for the car, located in Bakersfield, California, runs only one more day.

Larger wheels and a Mazda Miata suspension help give the modded Honda handling, so says the seller.©Motorcyclist
What? Nothing to see here. Move on.©Motorcyclist
The red VFR800 fuel tank now serves as an engine cover under the N600 hood.©Motorcyclist
The fabricated center tunnel carries the drive shaft for the rear wheels. This Honda’s not longer a front-driver, but uses a custom driveshaft and a Miata rear end. Front seats are scavenged from a Polaris RZR.©Motorcyclist
A crazy custom in progress. The VFR800 engine fits the stock engine bay surprisingly well.©Motorcyclist
Before radical surgery, the N600 looks like nothing more than your usual resto-mod. Does that VFR look nervous for a reason?©Motorcyclist
The VFR engine sits sideways in the engine bay, with the countershaft mating to a custom driveshaft.©Motorcyclist