As an editor at Classic Driver, it’s our duty to act like benevolent observers, keeping an eye on the ever-evolving Classic Driver Market from afar while cherry picking the finest rides to share with our dear readers, a bit like Aliens abducting middle-Americans. While always enthusiastic, we try not to praise a specific model too vigorously; the dealer is supposed to keep a straight face, after all. However, this goes out the window when a nearly un-driven Honda City Turbo II appears on our screens, and it’s even worse when said JDM hot hatch icon is accompanied by its essential two-wheeled side-kick, the magnificent Motocompo.
The brainchild of Hirotoshi Honda, son of Soichiro Honda and the man responsible for Mugen, the City Turbo II built upon the original City Turbo’s already sporty demeanour by adding an intercooler, more aggressive box flares, side skirts, and oh-so-1980s decals. It looked mean, and was promptly given the nickname “the Bulldog” for its lovable, squat stance. Additionally, thanks to the upgrades, power was up to a Mk1 Golf GTI-rivalling 108bhp, meaning the Bulldog had some bite!
However, while the undeniably sexy City Turbo II gets us hot under the collar as it is, it’s the junk in the trunk that really drives us into a frenzy. Of course, we’re talking about the Motocompo, a genius folding moped designed to slot neatly into the City Turbo II’s boot. Not just an outstanding piece of industrial design, the Motocompo is proof of Honda’s impressive foresight into the future of mobility, as is evidenced by the newly-unveiled Motocompacto - an electric reimagining of the folding boot bike.
Back to the totally tubular City Turbo II, this pristine 1985 example has covered a scant 9,000km and retains its full original interior, which looks to be in immaculate condition. The accompanying white Motocompo is also in excellent mechanical health and is ready to act as your faithful last-mile transport if you manage to find an urban centre that even the City Turbo II can’t squeeze through. Under-appreciated for far too long, the brilliantly boxy City Turbo II has begun gaining traction among collectors with prices soaring as a result, so if you want to live your 1980s JDM hot hatch dreams, don’t hang around because this Bulldog doesn’t wait for anyone!
