Honda Life Pickup, a very rare model among the very rare

We found a very rare amongst the very rare model, with a total production of just a little over 1,000 units. The Honda Life Pickup was discontinued in 1974.

A derivative of the Step Van with the rear as a cargo bed

A rare car with few units produced, the Honda Life Pickup, was spotted at the “360! All Together in OSAKA” venue, held in the Osaka Port Department.

The Life Pickup was a pickup-type derivative model based on the Life Step Van, which was introduced in 1972, with a cargo bed in the rear, in 1973. Honda already had a light truck called the TN series, but this had the advantage of a low, flat cargo bed and easy loading and unloading, as the base step van was FWD. It is said that the TN series was developed to meet the increasing demand for small-lot deliveries in urban areas and other confined spaces. However, because it was based on the semi-bonnet type Step Van, the cargo bed was narrow and the load capacity was not as high as that of light trucks, so sales were not very strong.

The owner has driven two of these rare models

Mr. Ikeda, the owner, had driven another Life pickup before, but he came across this one in better condition and acquired it about eight years ago.

In fact, Honda temporarily withdrew from the light car market in 1974, leaving the TN series behind, in line with the revision of the light car standards from January 1975, so the Life Pickup was discontinued after only two years of production. Total production is said to have been just over 1,000 units, making it a very rare model among the very rare.

It can be said that Mr Ikeda himself is quite rare, having had the experience of driving two such Life Pickups. Mr. Ikeda also told us that the Life Pickup has an unusual history.

The car remained unregistered after production ended

“You see this car with the big kei-car license plate? The big kei-car number plates started in January 1975, so they were not originally put on the Life Pickup, which was discontinued in 1974.”

The story goes that it probably had a history of sitting unregistered in a showroom somewhere, and the first year of registration was also in 1976, which means it had been unregistered for two years after production ended. The fact that it was in good condition may be related to this period of dormancy.

The body in such good condition is painted in ‘NSX’ Pearl White and fitted with Hayashi Racing alloy wheels. Other customizations include a wood-grain dash panel and a white face for the center meter.

translated by DeepL