The unknown BMW-Alfa-Lancia opponent from Honda
05/18/2021
Sometimes you come across a car that you didn't even have on your radar. This was the case with the Honda 1300, presented in 1968. On the outside, this sporty saloon looks rather inconspicuous, but when you take a look at the technology, you can't help but be amazed: air-cooled four-cylinder engine with four single carburettors, overhead camshaft and dry sump lubrication, transverse drive unit, front-wheel drive.
Honda installed everything they thought was good in this car. The Type 99 produced 115 SAE horsepower with a displacement of 1.3 liters at around 7500 rpm. There was also a smoother version called the "Type 77". This had to make do with a carburetor and delivered 90 hp at 7200 rpm.
The overall package was obviously not completely convincing. We know this because the magazine "auto motor und sport" tested a Honda 1300 "77" . Where did the car, which was never officially exported to Germany, come from? From Porsche's third-party fleet. They obviously wanted to find out what the Japanese had come up with for this sporty saloon. In the performance measurements, the 90 hp version performed worse than the Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 ti, for example. However, the differences were not great. In any case, the 115 hp version would probably have been a real headache for the competition, despite the 970 kg full tank. The factory promised 185 km/h and a fuel consumption of 5.5 liters per 100 km, which was certainly a little optimistic.
"According to their designers, these small saloons should combine the economy and small displacement of the 1000 cm3 car class with the performance and comfort of a 2000 cm3 saloon," noted the Automobil Revue at the launch in June 1969. However, the car was not a sales success.
The saloon was then joined by a coupé, which was hardly more convincing visually, but had the same technology.
The only question that remains is whether one of these vehicles exists in Europe, because we would love to take a closer look and write a comprehensive article about it! This Honda would have deserved it ...
