Honda T360

Honda T360
Honda T360
Overview
Manufacturer	Honda
Also called	Honda T500
Production	June 1963 – November 1967
Assembly	Saitama Factory (later Wako Plant), Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Body and chassis
Class	Kei truck
Body style	2-door pickup truck; 2-door van
Related	Honda S360; Honda S600; Honda L700
Powertrain
Engine	356 cc AK250E I4; 531 cc AK280E I4
Transmission	4-speed manual transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,000 mm (78.7 in)
Length	2,990 mm (117.7 in)
Width	1,295 mm (51.0 in)
Height	1,525 mm (60.0 in)
Chronology
Successor	Honda TN360

The Honda T360 is a pickup truck from Honda. Introduced in June 1963, it was Honda's first production automobile, beating the S500 Sports by four months.^[1] There was also a larger-engined version called the T500, mainly sold in export.

Overview

The T360 used a 356 cc AK250E series DOHC inline-four engine also found in the Honda S360 roadster prototype, with which it also shared the chassis. The mid-mounted unit propelled the truck to a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph), and was accessed by lifting up the bench seat inside the cabin.^[2] The engine generated 30 PS (22 kW) at 8,500 rpm, reflecting Honda's motorcycle heritage. A total of 108,920 T360s were produced from 1963 through August 1967, all painted in "May Blue".^[3] It has a wraparound, clamshell-style bonnet which leaves the headlights in place when opened.

The similar but somewhat larger T500 used a 38 PS (28 kW) 531 cc version of the engine, excluding it from the Kei car class. The T500, first shown in September 1964, was mainly intended for export markets. Its engine delivered high in the rev range (maximum power arrived at 7,500 rpm, with redline at 9,000 rpm) and was a slightly downtuned version of the one found in the Honda S500 sports car.^[1] Top speed was 105 km/h (65 mph). A total of 10,226 T500s were built from 1964 through November 1967, and were all painted "Moss Green". Aside from the different color and engine, the T500 was 20 cm longer (all behind the rear axle), as its overall length was not dictated by the Kei regulations.^[2] Another minor distinction was the fittings for license plates larger than those of a Kei car, as well as a higher 400 kg (882 lb) load capacity.^[1]

The T360 was produced as a conventional rear-wheel drive pickup truck, a flatbed (the T360F), a flatbed with folding sides (the T360H), and as a covered van (the T360V). There was also a version of the T360 called the "Snow Crawler", equipped with tracked propulsion units at the rear. Due to its expense, the Snow Crawler remained a rarity in spite of its usefulness in certain parts of northern Japan. The T500 came either with a conventional pickup body (T500), or with the folding side flatbed, this time with the "F" suffix; called the T500F.^[3]

Honda T500F (folding side flatbed)
Honda T360 Snow Crawler

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Barr, Jonathan, ed. (July–September 2003). "1965 Honda T500F Flat Bed Utility". The Japanese Restorer in Australia (4). Bald Hills, Queensland, Australia: 15.
^ ^a ^b Honda T360/T500 brochure (1964), p. 4. Honda Motor Company. Accessed at Honda Sports Registry.
^ ^a ^b Hsu, Ben (2007-07-09). "Profiles: 1964 Honda T500F". Japanese Nostalgic Car. Archived from the original on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2010-11-10.