Honda N600 with a Interceptor Motorcyle Engine

I came across Dean Williams’ Honda N600 project while searching Youtube for engine swap projects in 2014. I always meant to follow up with the project but forgot along the way. I was very excited to see the project again in a recent Speedhunters article.

The project started when Dean bought a very straight and rust-free Honda N600 body in early 2011. He had owned a N600 previously in college and loved its uniqueness ever since. The goal for this project was to up the performance and handling while keeping the car as light as possible.

Dean decided to power the N600 with a 782 cc 16v DOHC V4 from a 1998 Honda Interceptor (VFR800). This accomplished two things, increasing the power and dependability via a modern engine and keeping with the N600’s history of running a motorcycle engine (600 cc I2) from the factory. The Interceptor engine produced 104 horsepower at 10,250 rpm and 55 ft-lb of torque at 8,500 rpm in factory settings. That is not a lot of power but in a car that weighs this little, it was powerful enough to keep up with a 1966 AC Cobra in an autocross event.

Building a project out of a car this size is going to require a lot of modification to get it to fit. The suspension is out of a 1st generation Mazda Miata that has been narrowed 9.5″. The front and rear bumpers are narrowed 1967-1968 Camaro bumpers. Seats are from a 1st generation Polaris RZR that still turned out to be too wide so the doors had to be notched. The rear end is a narrowed Ford 7.5″.

In the end Dean’s N600 speaks for itself. All the effort and work turned this little Honda into a serious performer.

Here are the videos I mentioned earlier. They really show the work and effort Dean put into the project.

Dean’s next project will involve installing a GM LNF Ecotec inline-four from a Cobalt into his 1963 Volvo 1800. The engine will be mated to a five-speed transmission from a Pontiac Solstice. The goal will to have around 350 horsepower in this little Volvo. You can view the build thread here.

Source: LocostUSA (build thread) via Speedhunters (more photos)