The first Honda Civic was the car that got Honda well and truly noticed for its car-making abilities. With a steady diet of sales and critical acclaim, the Civic grew in every dimension with the following generation and would continue to grow. Much like a family sitcom introduces a new, cute child cast member once the youngest kid gets too big, Honda saw the need for a new, cute entry-level model that would be close to the original Civic in size.
That car was the Honda City, development on which started in 1978. It was 133 inches long, riding an 87-inch wheelbase, and measuring 62 inches wide. That meant it was 6 inches shorter than first-generation Civics without the US-market 5-MPH bumpers but 3 inches wider. Where it differed most was in height, the City presaging the rise of “tall-boy” superminis like the Mazda 121/Ford Festiva et all. In standard form, it was 5 inches taller than the first Civic. This boxy, upright design allowed for a more upright seating position and therefore a more space-efficient cabin.
Though Honda engineers considered a three-cylinder engine, the City launched with the 1.2 four-cylinder CVCC-II ER engine which possessed class-leading fuel economy and an aluminum engine block. Depending on tune, the City’s engine produced 62-67 hp and 72 ft-lbs and could be mated to either a four- or five-speed manual transmission or a three-speed automatic. All Cities had four-wheel independent suspension and were widely regarded as being exceptionally fun to toss about.
One of the key goals of the City was to attract new buyers to the brand but, much to Honda’s chagrin, they discovered a large percentage of Japanese City buyers were trading in old Civics. The City did, however, appeal to young buyers as intended thanks to a youth-oriented advertising campaign and clever touches like a ventilated dashboard bin that fit four cans. There was also the option of a foldaway 50cc scooter called the Motocompo that fit in the City’s luggage area.
Due to import quotas here in Australia, we only received a two-seat “commercial” version of the City which attracted smaller duties and rivalled the Daihatsu Handivan and Suzuki Hatch. This meant we were sadly deprived of the zesty Turbo and Turbo II models which, as their names suggested, used a turbocharged, fuel-injected version of the 1.2 four. The brainchild of Soichiro Honda’s son Hirotoshi, founder of tuning firm Mugen, the Turbo produced 100 hp and 108 ft-lbs while the Turbo II was good for another 8 horses and 9 pound-feet.
The Turbo II had flared fenders and a wider track (1.18 inches at the front, 0.8 at the rear), its squat appearance earning it the nickname Bulldog.
Other variants included a convertible, which utilized an exclusive and vibrant color palette and the Turbo II’s flared fenders.
There was also a “Manhattan-roof” version with a 4-inch taller roof.
Much as the Civic had, the City would expand with its second generation. Though it didn’t exactly become a Metropolis, the second-generation City grew by 7 inches in wheelbase but had very short overhangs.
That left a spot underneath for, you guessed it, another small Honda. The Today, introduced in 1985, returned Honda to the kei car market they’d abandoned in the early 1970s. The little tike was even smaller than the original Civic, measuring 10 inches shorter albeit with a 91.7-inch wheelbase. Its engines were also half the size of the first Civic’s per Japanese tax requirements. Like the second City, it had an almost exaggerated wheelbase-to-length ratio with very short overhangs.
You can draw a direct line from this first City to the Fit/Jazz of today. The second-generation City was replaced by the rather bland Logo, which in turn was replaced by the first Fit/Jazz. The City name continued on a line of subcompact Honda sedans for predominantly South-East Asian markets, where a three-box silhouette is preferred. The last three generations of City sedan have been mechanically related to the Fit/Jazz and, once upon a time, would’ve seemed a natural fit for Honda’s North American line-up.
The Fit/Jazz has proved to be a relatively popular subcompact and has been heralded for its packaging efficiency. Looking at the tall and boxy first-generation City, you can clearly see the lineage. The Fit may be the new cute kid on the Honda show but the City was getting adoring looks from the studio audience first.
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1973-1979 Honda Civic – The Second Little Revolutionary
Curbside Classic: Honda Civic (gen2) – The Best Small Car By Unanimous Consent
Whenever I see a City I think of their racing series and the Tamiya RC model. It looks great equipped for racing.
I’ve been aware of this car, though we never had them in the US, and I have seen one or two Motocompo scooters. But I don’t think I’d ever seen the second gen City, which, as a smaller blend of the 3rd and 4th gen Civic styling, looks just perfect to me. Though I love that Manhattan roofline too. A sad reminder of what Honda used to be, so different from today’s oversized cartoon-like Civic and bloated crossovers.
Now I know the inspiration source for the first gen. Renault Twingo, however the Today’s overall style is way more pleasant than the french little car.
Speaking of the Today, I remember it was the main vehicules used by Miyuki and Natsumi in the anime Taiho Shichauzo alias “You’re Under Arrest”. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_576368-Honda-Today-JW1-1985.html
I’ve seen two Motocompos at vintage motorcycle shows – the one that was for sale had an asking price of $5,000.00! And the owner was negotiating with someone at the time.
I lived in Tokyo during the heyday of the Honda City, and I listed after City Bulldog turbo. Room for four (by Japanese measures), but plenty of room for two by anybody’s standard. In Tokyo driving, you spend 80 percent (more?) of your drive below 60 KPH (call it 40 MPH) and 90 percent of your time below 80 KPH (50 MPH). So, you don’t need big horsepower number but you do want quick punch to take advantage of holes in traffic. The small size of the car is great for parking; always a factor in any big city. The idea behind the scooter is to be able to park out, away from the train station and then scooter “the last mile” from the parking lot to the station. For that matter, you might also use it to ride from your parking space to your apartment. For one place I lived, the closest parking lot was 5 blocks away… and you can’t buy a car in Tokyo unless you provide proof you have a (“ownership” of a) parking place large enough for your vehicle.
Edit – I’ve added a link to the Kanagawa Police English language instructions for registering your parking space.
https://www.police.pref.kanagawa.jp/eng/e_mes/engf4001.htm
Note the requirement that the parking space be within 2 kilometers from your residence.
It belongs in the same league as the origional Renault Twingo.
Brilliant functional industrial design.
In Europe it was named Jazz.
The City Turbo was for a brief interval the quickest Honda passenger car, edging out the heavier Civic/Ballade/Ballade Sports.
It should probably be noted for the uninitiated that the power ratings from this period were still quoted in JIS gross. The normally aspirated engine’s net output was probably in the realm of 51–56 bhp while the turbos likely made 85–90 bhp — pretty decent specific output for the time, but nothing miraculous.
Honda styling from this period is terrific, rivaled only by their mid 2000s JDM products.
This Honda City has many of the great styling cues of the Civics we saw in the US at that time. Especially the first gen Wagovan.
Gettin rare even in NZ where they were sold new and of course came in used from Japan, theres a whole new breed of younger classic car lovers who absolutely prize these cars, when I first came back I would see these for sale roadside for a few hundred dollars ready to go, nobody wanted them there were plenty of other shiny toys coming off the boats every day, times have changed all Japanese pocket rockets have a following especially the turbo versions.
Always loved these, a great design. I built up this old Tamiya kit earlier this year for a facebook group’s 24-hour model-building challenge.
That’s what they use when they want a newborn brother of the youngest in the sitcom.
I too love the City, amazing you found one in such good shape!
Like Old Pete above, I too have built a Tamiya kit of one, but in my case it was the Cabriolet that I painted in French Blue and I built mine over 30 years ago, around ’86 or so.
A local lady still uses a ragtop model as her daily drive bright yellow black top, one of the very few I see regularly. Its not a turbo version though.
I absolutely love these little Bishop’s Mobiles – well they’d hardly be a Pope’s, would they? – which they were christened as they’d fit His Grace in with mitre intact.
The styling was original (esp those flat arches pointing front and rear), cute without being like the youngest kid in a US sitcom (cloying), and clever, with that unfeasibly thin-pillared glassscraper (well, it’s too tall to be be a house). It’s a superb effort for a phone-box proportioned piece of functionalia. Small car? No problem, just sit ’em tall. Really obvious, but took years and years to catch on, and even longer to be done nearly as well.
Having owned a first-gen Civic, I was put off these by the two-seat spec in Aus, even though some fitted rears somewhat dubiously. But a friend had one for years, and it was the quintessence of what once made Honda great. Torquey engine, smooth if you wanted to rev, slick and precise gearchange, 45 mpg, 75 mph cruiser, fun handling, innovation in layout, and functional expensiveness in feel. Incidentally, he drove somewhere well north of 220,000 miles in it, and sold it unbroken.
I haven’t seen one in ages, and sure as eggs not in the condition of this one. Did you get a look at the mileage on it?
The funny thing with the City is that the overwhelming majority of Japanese folks are incapable of pronouncing it any other way than “Shitty”.
Was the original 81-86 Honda City platform and its engine derived (however loosely) from the existing Civic or were they largely clean sheet designs?
The same goes regarding the Honda Logo platform and its ties to both the previous Civic as well as the initial two generation of Honda City models.