"Better than the Vectra" - COTW 2015
The Vectra isn't getting picked on, it's getting absolutely hammered.
Anyways..
1300 Problems But Dullness Ain't One.
The 1970 Honda 1300 Coupe S is on the face of it, pretty basic.
It's front wheel drive, it has a small 4 cylinder motor sending power through a 4 speed gearbox.
But that's not doing the 1300 Coupe any credit, it is quite interesting regarding its engine.
Mr Soichiro Honda wanted the engine to be Air Cooled, not Water Cooled and he argued, "Since Water Cooled engines eventually use air to cool the water, We can implement Air Cooling from the very beginning."
So how to draw extra cold air around the engine?
By attaching a fan to the cars flywheel to pull in fresh cold air, which after it got warmed up by cooling the engine and removed by another fan, it was used alongside hot air from around the exhaust manifold to warm up the passenger compartment.
The fans got the label, DDAC or Duo Dyna Air Cooling which was a novel concept which wasn't used as common afterward, but the electrical fuel pump the car had would be.
However it's design made it heavier than a normal Air Cooled engine and you couldn't sit on the bonnet after a spirited drive unless you liked getting a very warm reception on your backside.
So what's it like to drive?
Well it's actually good fun to drive, it's not incredibly nose heavy at a 54-46 split on weight distribution, it likes to be revved to the redline and the 4 speed gearbox isn't hopelessly short or snooze inducing long like you would expect.
Of course I would like to tell you about how it does against other 1300's, but I'm afraid the ghost of COTW and 'Problem #1', Ted Thomas decided to pay a visit and let's just say he wasn't here on a social call.
If you judge the car at face value, you miss quite the interesting facts about its creation and it's engine.
I do have to with a heavy heart, call it a Beater all things considered.
Whilst it's not a bad car, There's a good number of cars which can outrun the 1300 and could even undercut it on price.
But like I said at the start, it's got problems, but dullness isn't one of them.
Verdict: Beater 👎 ( But still better than a Vectra
)