Vintage Literature: 1964 Honda T500

[Honda News Feed]

It’s interesting how timing can be ironic. Nearly three years ago, just as Honda unveiled its new Ridgeline to hordes of journalists in Detroit, I picked up a sales brochure for Honda pickups from a library book sale - from nearly 40 years prior.
Sure, the T500 doesn’t have four doors, all-wheel-drive or a hidden trunk, but in the realm of Honda history, the T-series truck line is significant. Before Sochiro tried his hand at sports cars or racers, the first four-wheeled Honda was a T300 in 1963.
(Click through for more on the T500 and to continue leafing through the brochure.)








The truck range evolved in 1964, when the 531cc DOHC I4 from the S500 roadster was planted under hood. The mini motor cranked out only 38 hp at 7500 rpm and 31.1 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm, but it was sufficient to move the mighty mite through a quarter mile in 25 seconds and to an ultimate top speed of 65 mph. Not scorching by any means, but it did let the T500 return an average fuel economy of just under 50 mpg. Buyers could choose between either a flat- or pickup-bed, but either way, the tiny truck could lug a maximum load of 400 kg.
Although this piece is well-written in English and includes figures in U.S. gallons, the T500 never officially made it to North American shores - but that’s not to say we wouldn’t like to see one now. We know of a few S400, S500 and S600s that have been snuck into the States; if this isn’t the perfect tow vehicle for one of those or a CB 750, we don’t know what is.
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