Honda L700

Honda L700
Overview
Manufacturer Honda
Also called Honda L800
Production Sayama, Japan
L700: October 1965-September 1966[1]
L800: September 1966-November 1967
Body and chassis
Class Truck
Body style 3-door wagon
Layout front-engine, rear drive
Related Honda S600
Honda S800
Honda T500
Powertrain
Engine
  • 687 cc DOHC I4
  • 791 cc DOHC I4
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,245 mm (88.4 in)
Length 3,690 mm (145 in)
Width 1,485 mm (58.5 in)
Height 1,400 mm (55 in)
Curb weight 800 kg (1,800 lb) (LM700)[2]

The L700 was a commercial station wagon from Honda. Produced for only eleven months beginning in October 1965, it shared the S600 roadster's mechanicals and used a bored out version of that car's high-tech inline-four engine.[3] At 687 cc, the DOHC engine produced 52 hp (39 kW) with twin side-draft carburettors.

The L700 was designed for commercial deliveries and was referred to by Honda as a light van, but it appeared as a conventional station wagon, seating five. Only a four-speed manual transmission was available, the front suspension was independent by MacPherson struts while the rear was a conventional leaf sprung live axle.[2] Two models were built the basic LA700 and better-equipped LM700.[4] A third version, called the Honda P700[5] was a small pick-up truck version, with an exposed load bay and a standard cab situated behind the engine, using the same chassis as the L700 (front engine, rear drive). It appeared a month after the L700. 12,763 L700 and 1328 P700 were built.[3] Payload for all L and P-series models was 400 kg (880 lb).

L800

The L700 was replaced in 1966 by the L800. Basically an L700 with a 58 hp (43 kW) 791 cc engine, the L800 was introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1965. The engine came from the S800 roadster but used a single side-draft carburettor. It was available in LA and LM trim levels like the L700, and about 12,500 were produced through 1967. The "L" prefix is a naming reference to lorry, a European term used for commercial delivery vehicles. 7275 L800 were built, alongside 1079 P800.[6] In total, 22,445 of all L- and P-series models were built; very few remain.

References

  1. "L700". Honda クルマ製品アーカイブ [Honda Car Archive] (in Japanese). Honda Motor Co.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "1965 / HONDA L700 [Automobile]". Honda Collection Hall. Honda Motor Co.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Ozeki, Kazuo (2007). 日本のトラック・バス 1918~1972 [Japanese Trucks and Buses 1918-1972:] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Miki Press. p. 161. ISBN 978-4-89522-494-9.
  4. "Honda L700 1965". This Old Honda. Archived from the original on 2007-08-14.
  5. http://thisoldhonda.org/generations_detail.php?ID=28 1965 Honda P700 truck
  6. Ozeki, p. 162