Makes › Izuogu › Z-600 · Prototype · Visionary project · 1997
Izuogu
Z-600
A Nigerian-designed and -built small family car prototype by Ezekiel Izuogu, shown in 1997; planned mass production did not follow.
Still being researched: identification guide, full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- Not yet verified
- Years
- 1997
- Engine
- 1,800 cc / 1.8 LFactory: 1.8 L
- Power
- Not yet verified
- Top speed
- 140 km/hFactory: 140 km/h
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Ezekiel Izuogu
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The Z-600 was presented as the first all-African car, designed and made in Nigeria for the family market. It is an early example of a locally conceived small car aimed at buyers who could not afford imports.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
No production figures recorded yet.
History
Engineer Ezekiel Izuogu built the Z-600 prototype through Izuogu Motors in Imo State. It was launched in Owerri in 1997 and, according to a BBC report of April 1998, drew a warm reception on the streets of Lagos. Sources give a high share of locally made parts (90 to 95 per cent) and a target price of $2,000 if it ever entered mass production.
The sources describe financial and political hurdles that kept the car at prototype stage. In 2006 the South African government showed interest in producing it, and in March 2006 armed men broke into the Izuogu Motors factory and took machines, design files and moulds for various parts.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Z-600.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Not yet verified |
| Cylinders | 41 Independently researchedPrototype engine as described by the designer and reported in a newspaper feature; not checked against a registry or the maker. |
| Displacement | 1,800 cc / 1.8 LFactory: 1.8 L1 Independently researchedDesigner's claimed prototype figure as reported in 2014; not verified. |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | Not yet verified |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Front-wheel drive2 Independently researched |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 140 km/hFactory: 140 km/h2,3 Independently researchedTwo sources agree; engine size is reported as 1.8 L four-cylinder (S1) and as 800 cc four-stroke (S3), so no engine figure is given |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
Are these cars really made in Nigeria? Level C Seyi Gesinde · Nigerian Tribune · 2014-11-09
- self made 1.8L four cylinder engine
-
2
Ezekiel Izuogu (African Inventors) Level D Kumatoo
- Front Wheel Drive (FWD) was chosen over Rear Wheel Drive
- reached a speed of 140 km/h
-
3
Moulds of Nigerian made car stolen (reprints BBC News 1998 and BusinessDay 2006) Level D Nigeria Masterweb
- top speed of 140km (86m) an hour