Wednesday, September 21, 2011

1972 Honda 600 prototype gets 173 mpg, can be yours

A lot of the new compacts and subcompacts are getting up to 40 MPG on the highway. Although that's pretty good for 2011, can you imagine what it'll be like in 1972? Wait, what?

That's right, back in 1972, Honda had an experimental 600 model (complete with fender skirts, aero nose, two engines, and boat tail) that got 173 MPG, and it's documented—just see the car's rear panel.

According to the description, the car has the original 600cc engine where it should be, but there's a second, single-cylinder diesel mounted closer to the firewall. There's apparently a host of engineering goodness ala snowmobile-like clutch to make the thing actually drive. However, if I were to guess, this one will likely end up in a museum. It's actually pretty cool, totally obscure, and delightfully wonky.

For the vintage hypermiling enthusiast that has nearly everything, this little rarity can now be yours. As of right now, the price is $3,100 (with 5 hrs. to go). Bid early, bid often. Be sure to click the link below for more pics and info.

Thanks to Matt U. for the tip!

LINK
1972 Honda 600 prototype (eBay)

3 comments:

Jam said...

Hi just droppin' by your great infos. More power always!

Ducati Scotty said...

That thing is freakin' awesome!

Ducati Scotty

auto painting said...

great news... i think most of peoples will love this car