Mary’s first trip was in a 1987 Honda Accord at the ripe young age of 75. At 90, there are no signs she’s slowing down.

“I’m addicted to solo driving. I love being by myself. I like to make my own decisions. Passengers always want to stop.” Mary says she doesn’t have a favourite place; she enjoys the journey. “It’s the road. I love the car; it does what you want it to.

Mary’s journey will take her along the Australian coastline for six weeks covering between 16,000 to 18,000 kilometers. With precision planning, Mary travels anti-clockwise in order to save petrol and reduce her impact on the environment. “The wind pushes you along. I’ve also done the trip twice in the Civic Hybrid.”

So what was her motivation for the first trip? “I’ve always wanted to do it. It was a deliberate decision. You can’t lead the same life, this was something altogether different.”

The folk at Peninsula Honda take care of servicing the Jazz and arrange for other Honda dealers around Australia to attend to any issues not that there has been a single incident. “I’ve been driving a Honda for 20 years. They’re very safe, I don’t even think of the car.”

Mary documents her journey with a dash-mounted video camera and her laptop, complete with voice-recognition software. She also takes photographs of her Jazz at various locations she visits. From her point of view she prefers to drive for 600 kilometers per day without seeing a sign of human habitation.

In anticipation of her 90th birthday and ongoing love of driving, Mary booked herself in for a professional driving assessment. The assessor’s report card read as follows: Mary Taylor’s driving ability is of a very high standard.

Mary prefers to stay in middle-of-the-range accommodation around the country because of the people she meets. “People are intrigued and they always come and talk to you.”

Mary will complete her journey in early July.

The free comprehensive Honda insurance* is available until September 30th to buyers of the fuel efficient Jazz range.

“In the excitement of buying your first new car, insurance is often a low priority,” said Honda Australia Senior Director Lindsay Smalley.

“The Jazz appeals to young people with its space, flexible seating and low running costs. With this offer, buyers also now have the peace of mind of comprehensive Honda insurance at no extra cost.”

“That’s a great deal when you also consider that the Jazz GLi manual uses just 5.7 litres of petrol per 100 kms.”

The Jazz range begins at $15,990 with the 1.3-litre Jazz GLi, with the 1.5-litre Jazz VTi from $18,170 and the top-of-the-range Jazz VTi-S from $20,590.

Deals are also offered on Honda’s Accord twins, with the popular Euro and Accord ranges attracting free third party insurance, stamp duty and registration until September 30th.

Honda S600

Honda had plans to become as big in cars as they were in motorbikes so it is no surprise that the first Hondas featured a lot of technology borrowed from their motorbike division. Both the S500 and the S600 featured chain drive to the rear wheels. The S500 featured a 531 cc DOHC, in-line 4 cylinder engine with four carburetors that was increased to 606cc for the S600.

The S600 that was first released in 1964 was an improvement over the S500 that also saw the introduction of a Convertible. The S600 was also the first Honda car to be exported from Japan.  

The first exported Honda’s were not really well known for their quality and their quirky chain drive won few friends outside Japan, When the S600 was replaced by the S800 in 1966 the chain drive system was abandoned in favor for a traditional live rear axle.