Honda's First Pickup Truck?

I was plundering around through Honda's international website (Google for "Honda of Japan") & found an interesting historical reference to the Honda T360, released in 1963. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_T360) (which may or may not be the most reliable source), the 30 hp 356cc engine in the T360 was the smallest straight-4 ever produced. Almost 109,000 T360s were produced between 1963 & 1967. Slightly more than 10,000 of the more powerful (38 hp, 531cc) T500 model were produced between '64 & '67. According to Honda Beat (http://www.hondabeat.com/history.php), the T360 was actually the first Honda automotive product to go into production.

The T360:
http://thisoldhonda.org/pictures/t360.gif

The T500 (what a hoss!):
http://thisoldhonda.org/pictures/res_t500_1_t500_brian.jpg

Here are the sales brochures:
Sales Brochure #1 (http://www.hondasportsregistry.com/brochures/brocht360_1.php)
Sales Brochure #2 (http://www.hondasportsregistry.com/brochures/brocht360_2.php)
Sales Brochure #3 (http://www.hondasportsregistry.com/brochures/brocht360_3.php)

Check out Brochure #3 for the engine placement in this little guy. It's NOT where you think!

Interesting presentation of the ubiquitous Honda "H" logo, too :)

Dang it, I WANT ONE OF THESE!

And talk about off-roading abilities!

Will Honda make one of these kits for the Ridgeline? (http://www.hondasportsregistry.com/brochures/brocht360_8.php)

Even at today's exchange rate, the T500 sold for $3,256.90...

356CC!!!! Man that thing would put the gas companies out of business in a hurry!

Great find, but is it a real truck?

Great find, but is it a real truck?

Actually, it appears to have been a snowmobile in one of the brochures!

I vote for blue!

So that bottom picture of the T500 is the inspiration for teenagers today pasting the giant H stickers on their riced out Civics :D .

This is a great find. Wouldn't it be cool to have one today? I can just imaging the looks you'd get pulling up to Home Depot :eek: .

Well, it appears that I can get a T360 after all, albeit on a small scale...

It's not a REAL truck, it's a snowmobile! (http://www.ebbro.com/catalogue2005/Honda/T360/Snow/index2.htm)

How cool! I want one to put in the back of my Ridge! It looks like it would fit,lol!:D

Honda would sell a lot of them even after they were updated to meet today's safety standards. The additional cost to do so would still keep them priced low enough that they couldn't keep them in stock. They could be so versatile that they would appeal to both commercial and consumer markets.

I still think that Honda needs to bring out a mini-truck based on the Element, which would be bigger and more expensive than the one that is the subject of this thread.

Great find, but is it a real truck?

Yes the Ridge is a real truck - oh you already knew that...

i would buy one of those - they should build it to show the FJ real retro.

I want this model for the winter:

http://www.hondasportsregistry.com/brochures/brocht360_8.php

MR-FTW

mid-engine rear-wheel drive for the win