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PROVO — The smallest car sold in the U.S. in 2022 is the Chevrolet Spark, at 143.1 inches long.
Quinn Peterson's 1971 Honda Z600 is 20 inches shorter than that, and the Spark's engine is more than twice the size than that of the first Honda model sold in the United States. Our little cars have grown into today's models, but Quinn likes keeping it simple. And tiny.
Peterson said he was hanging out at Specter Design, a custom car shop in Provo, when a family came in after one of their loved ones had passed away, asking if anyone in the shop wanted to buy "an old, funny Honda." Already owning several cars and motorcycles, Peterson followed the family to a garage and found a tiny green car in rough shape. With four to five projects already in progress, when his wife declared it cute, he got the car.
Paying for it was a little tricky, he said, ending with the family getting their asking price and Peterson getting a pump organ thrown in. He's not into pump organs. That was April 2021.
First came the education. Peterson found out how rare his Z600 was when he went looking for parts. First, the 10-inch tires can't be found locally, at all. He found a set on eBay (it had been rolling as scooter tires), had them shipped and took them to the tire shop that's used to the funky stuff he often brings in.
With his tiny Honda, Peterson entered a world where parts can't be found on eBay but require a lot of time on car owner forums, tracking down emails, addresses and Facebook pages. He ultimately found a guy with a lot of parts, but said he "was a turd," slow to give prices and slow to ship. Then Peterson found a "fantastic guy from North Carolina," whom he just tells what he wants and gets the parts.
Thanks to fantasticism, Peterson got the car done in three or four months. It had rust, which half-joking lore says old Hondas had when they came off the boat. He repainted what he had to, which was not everything and pounded out his own dents. His friend Lance Smith describes Peterson as a "Renaissance man," able to master a variety of skills. What he doesn't know, he takes on by doing, like snaking the gunk out of the minuscule car's fuel lines.
What Peterson knew about vintage Japanese motorcycles (he owns a garage full of them) and old cars (he goes British) could only partially prepare him for a Z600. It has a 600cc engine up front, which is not directly from a motorcycle. The transmission shares its oil with the engine, which is motorcycle-style; and clutch access is on the outside.
In 1971, Honda advertised the Z600 at less than $1,700. It was Japan's answer to the British Motor Corps' Mini Cooper, claiming 40 miles per gallon. The Japanese auto seller offered buyers a four-speed synchromesh transmission, rack-and-pinion steering and little else. The lack of air conditioning and automatic transmission are listed as draws, not drawbacks. The 1971 Volkswagen Beetle sold for $1,845, and a Ford Pinto went for $1,919.
Peterson said he drives the Z600 almost every day to just get around. When asked its zero-to-60 time, he laughed, assured it can do 60, and then claimed he has done 72 mph with a passenger and cargo from an antique mall. Not bad for a car that weighs less than Utah State Football's offensive line.
Owning Honda's first foray into four wheels has given Peterson the opportunity to work on his body work, mechanical and parts-finding skills. But he's still not into pump organs.
