Honda's own Accord donated its engine and suspension, but Motor Trend still clocked the new coupe at 18.8 seconds through the quarter mile.
Median 134 hp across 101 similar cars
Lead trim: 1.8 EK CVCC (72 hp SAE net, US) · up to 89 hp
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Honda Prelude SN yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactHonda's own Accord donated its engine and suspension, but Motor Trend still clocked the new coupe at 18.8 seconds through the quarter mile.
Launched to the Japanese market on 24 November 1978 (sold only through the new Honda Verno dealers alongside the Quint, Ballade and Vigor) and had its world premiere at the 1979 AutoRAI in Amsterdam. Engine, four-wheel independent struts and brakes came from the first-generation Accord, but the chassis was new, developed by chief engineer Hiroshi Kizawa for a low, wide 4,090 × 1,635 × 1,290 mm coupé on a wheelbase 60 mm shorter than the Accord's. It and the Accord were the first cars under two litres with standard power steering, and it was Honda's first model with a power moonroof as standard (a sliding metal sunroof in Japan, a glass top in the US). Marketed as a 2+2, its rear seat suited only small children. Motor Trend called it "a splendid automobile" and measured an early one at 18.8 s through the quarter mile at 70 mph. It reached the US in March 1979.
Real Honda Prelude cards spotted on the street by Burbles collectors. Tap any card to flip it over, inspect the collector’s binder, or follow them.
VerifiedFIRST · WORLDWIDEFIRST PRINTONLY ONE IN VANCOUVERHonda expected about 3 in 10 Prelude buyers to spring for four-wheel steering. In Japan, 8 in 10 did — an option Honda badly underestimated.
VerifiedFIRST PRINTNIGHTPROThe Type SH's torque-vectoring system could send up to 80% of the engine's power to a single front wheel, spinning it 15% faster than the other to fight understeer.
VerifiedFIRST · WORLDWIDEFIRST PRINTNIGHTThe Type SH's torque-vectoring system could send up to 80% of the engine's power to a single front wheel, spinning it 15% faster than the other to fight understeer.
VerifiedFIRST PRINTNIGHTPROThe Type SH's torque-vectoring system could send up to 80% of the engine's power to a single front wheel, spinning it 15% faster than the other to fight understeer.
VerifiedFIRST PRINTPROThe Type SH's torque-vectoring system could send up to 80% of the engine's power to a single front wheel, spinning it 15% faster than the other to fight understeer.
VerifiedFIRST PRINTNIGHTPROThe Type SH's torque-vectoring system could send up to 80% of the engine's power to a single front wheel, spinning it 15% faster than the other to fight understeer.
3 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 EL SOHC 8-valve (80 PS) | 1978–1982 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 79 hp | 93 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1.8 EK CVCC (72 hp SAE net, US) | 1979–1982 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 72 hp | 94 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1.8 EK CVCC SOHC 12-valve (90 PS, Japan) | 1978–1982 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 89 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Nobody has claimed one yet.
The new Prelude's hybrid system is a single-speed direct drive with no real gears — but switch on Honda's S+ Shift mode and the paddle shifters fake eight simulated gear ratios anyway, just for the feel of it.
The Type SH's torque-vectoring system could send up to 80% of the engine's power to a single front wheel, spinning it 15% faster than the other to fight understeer.
The fourth-gen Prelude got a real motorsport turn: it paced the 1994 Japanese Grand Prix as Formula One's official safety car.
Honda expected about 3 in 10 Prelude buyers to spring for four-wheel steering. In Japan, 8 in 10 did — an option Honda badly underestimated.
Honda engineered the first Prelude's hood so low the 1.8-litre engine had to tilt backward to fit — when the sportier 2.0 DOHC engine arrived for the second generation, the hood itself needed reshaping to clear it.
Honda's own Accord donated its engine and suspension, but Motor Trend still clocked the new coupe at 18.8 seconds through the quarter mile.
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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