Honda Vamos: The Strangest Vehicle Honda Ever Made
Andrew Koole
· 3 min read
Honda
isn’t an automaker that’s known for taking chances. From the lifespan to its nameplates to its razor-sharp focus on function and dependability, the Japanese automaker
is known more for making affordable, familiar vehicles than anything else.But a few of the company’s projects don’t quite fit the “round hole” mold of what we expect from Honda, and the Vamos is the squarest of those pegs. Made over only three years, the vehicle doesn’t resemble anything else on four wheels, never mind the cars from Honda’s lineup.
Jerry
searched the farthest corners of the Internet to find out everything we could about the Honda Vamos. Here’s what the world wide web says about this oddball car.
Everything there is to know about the Honda Vamos
When Honda released the Vamos in 1970, the company had only produced cars for seven years. Its first model, the T360, was a tiny truck made to Japan’s “kei car” specifications. Kei car drivers enjoy tax and
car insurance
benefits because of the small size of their vehicles.Like the T360, the Vamos is also a kei car. The open-air, doorless cab paired with a spare tire mounted to its flat hood makes it look like a Jeep crossed with a Volkswagen Type 2 van. But its size is more reminiscent of contemporaries like the first-gen Suzuki Jimmy or the Mini Moke.
With a front-end only thick enough to hold a windshield and some headlights, many might wonder where the engine goes.
MotorTrend
says the 254 cc 4-cylinder sits in the middle of the car, between both axles. MORE: Your Old Honda Could Be a Collectible Now
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The legacy of the Honda Vamos
Despite having such a short production run, the Vamos inspired new concepts long after 1973. In 1999, Honda used the name for the top trims of its new kei car, the Acty van.
The Vamos and Vamos Hobio were part of Honda’s Japanese lineup until 2018 when the government changed its kei specifications to improve safety standards.
The micro-jeep and its contemporaries also influenced other automakers to make their first crossover concepts more fun. Toyota’s first RAV4 was offered as a convertible and Suzuki continued to offer the Jimmy in other countries while maintaining a similar style.
But so far, no one has dared to emulate the hoodless front-end of the Vamos (probably for safety reasons), allowing it to maintain its uniqueness.
Can you buy a Honda Vamos?
Honda never brought the Vamos to the American market, but many kei car enthusiasts have had them and other kei models shipped across the Pacific or from other parts of the world.
CarFromJapan
shows prices for shipping a Vamos-trim Acty van to Baltimore costing between $7,000 and $13,000, depending on the car’s year and condition. The classic Vamos, on the other hand, is more difficult to get your hands on.
BringATrailer
posted about one in 2017 that sold for over $19,000. Whether it was brought to the U.S. is unclear.Most imports are too expensive to ship to be worth it, but lightweight kei cars like the Vamos are much easier to get to the U.S.A. as long as they’re at least 25 years old. Anything newer than that is not street legal here.
Insuring a classic car
If you need
classic car coverage
for your Japanese import, Jerry can provide you with competitive quotes in under a minute. Swapping is just as effortless. Jerry takes care of all the paperwork and phone calls and can even assist you in canceling your old policy!
