We see a lot of remarkable cars go to auction, but finding a 1983 Honda City Turbo II in practically showroom-fresh condition with a color-and-decal-matched Motocompacto is not just remarkable, it’s downright extraordinary. This City is painted Windsor Dark Blue Metallic with terminally ’80s stripes and Turbo II graphics on both it and the Motocompacto, and the pair of Hondas are up for auction on Cars & Bids.
We’ve featured Honda City Turbos up for sale before, but this one might be the cleanest example we’ve seen, and if you think its exterior is clean, just wait until you see the interior. The Honda City Turbo is a diminutive two-door, four-seat hatchback — not a Kei car — that had funky looks and even funkier options. One of the Honda City’s most notable options was the compact 50-cc gas-powered scooter, called the Motocompo, that could be folded up and transported in the City’s trunk.
Though this ’83 City Turbo II doesn’t come with a Motocompo, it comes with the next best thing: Honda’s modern reimagining of a Motocompo, the suitcase-sized Motocompacto electric scooter. I can speak from firsthand experience when I say that the Motocompacto is a tiny and portable fun machine, so don’t despair that it doesn’t have the original Motocompo.
This is one showroom-fresh City
This City Turbo II is a right-hand-drive Japanese-market car, but it has a Texas title, so the new buyer doesn’t have to worry about import challenges. It indicates 48,900 kilometers on the five-digit odometer, which equates to about 30,400 miles, and though the seller notes the possibility of the odometer having rolled over, the immaculate condition of the car makes its odometer reading seem realistic.
The interior is what really shocked me. Its blue and gray upholstery and striped Turbo II floor mats look brand new, and the blue dashboard and steering wheel truly look showroom fresh despite this being a 42-year-old car. Hell, neither the door-mounted arm rests nor the five-speed gear selector show signs of even slight wear. This example also has 13-inch Speedline wheels, fog lights, a rear window wiper, air conditioning, and even an in-dash beverage cooler.
Under its itty-bitty hood lies another remarkably clean feature, a spunky 1.2-liter turbocharged and intercooled four-cylinder engine. When new, this hopped up powerplant produced about 109 horsepower, which was a massive increase in power of the standard naturally aspirated City’s 62 horses. The seller reports that they recently replaced the car’s AC compressor and battery, removed and cleaned the fuel tank, flushed its coolant, and performed an oil change and a fuel system service. This is a mighty special little car, and I hope it brings its new owner lots of joy. I mean how could you not smile when driving this adorable, powerful, and pristine time capsule on wheels?
