We’ve been covering cars that will appear at the upcoming SEMA aftermarket show over the last few weeks. These include a radical Hyundai N Veloster Concept as well as this carbon-fibre musclecar. This particular Honda N600 will also be shown in Las Vegas this year.

Motorcycle power

The 1972 Honda N600 is powered by Honda VFR 800 cm3 V4 motorcycle engine that drives the rear wheels. The engine revs to a dizzying 12 000 r/min and produces 86 kW in the process. An N600 left the factory with a 600 cm3 inline two-cylinder that made less than 37 kW. Interestingly the car’s original motor was capable of revving to 9 000 r/min. Drive is delivered to the rear wheels via a motorcycle gearbox that doesn’t have a reverse gear. Gears are swapped using steering-wheel-mounted paddles.

In converting the N600 to rear-wheel-drive the owner has completely re-engineered the car’s underpinnings. Double-wishbone suspension and brakes have been lifted from a first-gen Mazda MX-5. A Ford-sourced diff sits between the rear axle on a narrowed MX-5 subframe. All up the car weighs a scant 635 kg.

Custom bits

Mine has also worked on the car’s appearance. He’s grafted on and modified front and rear bumpers from a Chevy Camaro. Body-coloured fender flares have been trimmed to follow the car’s original lines. He’s also fitted some timeless and some timeless Minilite-style wheels in contrasting black..

Competition winner

The custom-built Honda N600 was chosen from dozens of potential Hondas in a nationwide competition to be shown at Honda’s booth at the 2019 SEMA show.

“When I arrived at the Hot Wheels Legends Tour, I was truly impressed by the amount of work from the other Honda tuners. I’m thrilled, and humbled, that my N600 not only stood out, but was selected as the winner of the first-ever Honda Super Tuner Legends Series,” said Stephen Mines, owner of the winning N600. “As a long-time Honda fan, and owner of more than a few Hondas, it will be an incredible honour to see my car at Honda’s booth at SEMA.”

Watch and listen to the unique creation in the video below: