Last year we reported on this mysterious Honda Z600 with a jet engine protruding from where its rear window should have been. Armed only with some badly translated German, we boldly predicted “that any attempt at turning during full throttle in this thing would be [verboten] as well.” Well guess what? We called it! We called it! We called it like 1-800-Collect, baby! Ok, so it turns out you didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that a Garrett JFS100 turbine strapped to a kei car was not going to be a handling monster. And these imaginative Nee Zeelanders laugh in the face of rocket science, as well as in the face of their friend rolling over somewhat anticlimactically. Check out their videos here and here. And you thought this was the only jet powered Honda.
[Source: Jalopnik]
This thing has popped up around the net for years, finally glad to see it in action.
Using the term ‘action’ loosely, of course 🙂
Just found this site and as the constructor (should I say deconstructor?) of said vehicle I’d like to fill in a few bits of info:
Its my Honda Z hardtop 360 water cooled, the only one in NZ that I’m aware of.
Was originally imported when a bloke was marrying a Japanese girl and wanted to get a car sent over – in those days with import restrictions it was very hard to import cars unless you lived or owned them overseas first – and this bloke asked for a “Z” to be sent over but he got something different than expected.
My playing about with the turbine was something one just has to do – tried as straight turbojet which was predictably unimpressive with only 50 Kg thrust which led to the addition of the space rated tyres to get it moving more freely. Installing the power turbine to the JFS100 to run in turboprop form did realise more potential and quite a few runs were done before the higher CG of the wheels and engine combination took over. Those tyres just gripped when they shouldnt have the engine is OK the Z has a few flat spots on the left side and a cracked windscreen. By the way it is registered as an ATV vehicle the authorities wont allow it as a passenger car something to do with the muffler being too loud… However an ATV is permitted on roads for up to 3Km round trips so that’yl do me!
A mate has borrowed the engine to put in a motorcycle well I hope he’s not going for the Darwin awards and I have his Garrett GTP30 sitting in the shed looking for a job…
So lockup your CVT Hondas – HRV, Logo, Jazz or Civic are suitable donor cars – I was looking for a Subaru Justy ECVT they just dont have the same class as a Honda – or perhaps I’m biased. Hondas I’ve had:
S-600 roadster
SA360 life
Z360 hardtop
H1300 Coupe7
EN1 Civic
CRX 1st gen 1.5i
CRX 2nd gen Sir
CRV gen 1
in the meantime, ponder this
http://www.turbinefun.com/TurbinePoweredHondaCRX.asp