Sixty years after the brand set foot in the United States, Honda restored a 1961 Chevrolet Apache pickup as an homage to the Japanese automaker’s early days in the American market.
Long before Honda built luxurious sedans and high-powered vehicles, the brand made a name for itself by selling motorcycles in Southern California. Back then, when Honda wasn’t yet building its own pickups like the Ridgeline, it used a small fleet of Chevrolet Apache pickups to deliver their motorbikes to buyers.
The trucks played a vital role in establishing Honda and ensuring the company’s fledgling dealership turns out to become the number one selling motorcycle brand in the United States.
The old Chevrolet Apache trucks weighed half a ton and featured a regular cab and an eight-foot bed. It runs on a 283-cubic-inch small-block V-8 paired to a three-speed manual transmission. It came with a white exterior accented by a red stripe and red and gold hand-lettered graphics.
To complete the throwback, vintage Honda 50 and CB160 motorcycles were also placed on the truck bed.
The 1965 Honda 50, first introduced as the “nifty, thrifty Honda 50,” was crucial to the brand’s success in the United States due to its small size and easy rideability. It was powered by a 49-cc single-cylinder engine mated with a three-speed semi-automatic transmission with centrifugal clutch. It was known for being lightweight at a time when steel frames were all the rage in vehicles.
The CB160, meanwhile, featured a 161-cc vertical twin engine that makes 16.5 horsepower and a four-speed manual transmission. It had a tubular steel frame and came with an electric start. The model was a huge hit for Honda back then, especially for young buyers looking to make the shift into bigger bikes.
The restored Apache truck and accompanying motorcycles are displayed in the lobby of American Honda’s headquarters in Torrance, California and is scheduled to make the rounds at various vehicle gatherings in Southern California. It will also make an appearance at the 2019 SEMA show before returning to headquarters.
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