Launched as a compact and faster alternative to the Accord, the Prelude nameplate existed between 1978 and 2001, but never received the deserving limelight in either Honda’s portfolio or otherwise. After a hiatus of nearly 22 years, the Prelude returns as a hybrid sportscar but Honda did not share production or launch details about the Prelude hybrid. While it always lived in the shadow of other, more famous, cars, the Prelude did establish a little cult for itself. We went down memory lane to highlight interesting nuggets from the generational shifts it was given.
First-Gen Prelude — a sleeker Accord
The Prelude was born as a rival to the Toyota Celica in the late 1970s. It is interesting to note that the Prelude name was trademarked by Toyota but was amicably given to Honda for use. Honda has, since, continued with the series of music-themed Honda nameplates — Ballage, Accord and Jazz, to name a few.
The first-gen Prelude, introduced in 1978, was fundamentally a sleeker Honda Accord. While it sat on a new chassis, critical components like the engine, suspension and brakes were borrowed from the first-gen Accord. It was smaller and lighter than the Accord, with a 60mm shorter wheelbase.
Powering the Prelude was a humble 80PS, 1.6L petrol engine that was later joined by a more powerful 90PS, 1.75L petrol engine. Understandably enough, the Prelude was not a fast car by any stretch of the imagination, managing a 0-100km/h sprint in roughly 19 seconds. It also featured a 2-speed semi-automatic transmission, which later got replaced with a 3-speed fully automatic gearbox that used the final gear as overdrive. Thankfully, enthusiasts were spared with a 5-speed manual transmission option.
Second-Gen Prelude — catching up with pop-up frenzy
It was with the second-gen model that the Prelude evolved into an exciting machine. Everything — from the engine to the platform — was new and more performance-oriented. While it retained its sleek body style, it caught up with the pop-up headlight fad. The enthusiasts started associating the Prelude nameplate with sharp handling and dynamic characteristics.
That personality shift was made possible because of a major overhaul underneath. Honda reworked the suspension, adding a new double-wishbone to the front and an independent MacPherson strut at the back. The second-gen Prelude started with a 105PS, 1.8L twin-carburetter engine but it was soon replaced with a new 2.0L petrol engine that made 160PS. While the power figure wasn’t anything to write home about, 160 horses coupled with a lightweight chassis meant the Prelude was regarded as one of the most entertaining models among its rivals.
Third-Gen Prelude — the NSX effect
By the late ’80s, the Prelude was an established nameplate in global markets. Motivated by its popularity, Honda developed the third-gen Prelude that looked fantastic — its design was inspired by the NSX.
Back in 1987, the NSX was still 3 years away from becoming a reality but that didn’t stop Honda from crafting the Prelude from the same cloth. The NSX-inspired design meant svelte body panels, resulting in a drag coefficient of 0.34.
But it wasn’t even the biggest talking point about the Prelude; it was something that even the legendary NSX didn’t have — the world’s first four-wheel steering! The results of this innovative feature were unheard of as a comparison test between the Prelude and C4-series Chevy Corvette concluded the Prelude winner in the slalom speed test. It went on to defeat every other car in that test, including the exotics from Porsche and Ferrari, with a speed of 105.4kmph through the set of slaloms.
The third-gen Prelude came with exclusive iterations of the 2.0L petrol engine. The single overhead cam variants came with a carburettor setup while the DOHC iterations featured fuel injection. The engine was also tilted backwards by 18 degrees, which let the bonnet sit 30mm lower over the last generation. Later on, Honda also introduced SiStates and SiTCV special editions, which were limited to very few units and offered features like limited-slip differential, traction control and many optional features as standard.
Fourth-Gen Prelude — VTEC kicked in yo!
Revealed in 1991, the fourth generation of the Prelude featured the much-famed Honda VTEC along with a new design language. The curvaceous design of the fourth-gen model took a big departure from the origami design of the past generations but it came at the cost of pop-up headlights. The new Prelude also switched from a mechanical set-up for the four-wheel steering to a new electronic version, which brought its own set of benefits but reliability concerns too.
The highlight though was VTEC, Honda’s famed variable valve timing technology. It came with a new 2.2L petrol engine, which churned out 190PS at 6800 rpm and 207 Nm of torque. There were also non-VTEC and less powerful 2.3L and 2.0L petrol engine options available as well. The addition of VTEC marked the Prelude in the most-thrilling Honda cars list after the NSX. Formula 1 aficionados would love to note that the fourth-gen Prelude was also used as a safety car in the 1994 Japanese Grand Prix.
Fifth-Gen Prelude — the end of an era
With the fifth-gen Prelude, which was revealed in 1996, Honda tried to find a balance between the edgy third-gen and the curvy fourth-gen models. Despite the new design pleasing enough, the slumping sales didn’t stop. The fifth-gen Prelude also traded the rear-wheel steering for a new ATTS system, which, in layman’s terms, is active torque vectoring.
Called the Active Torque Transfer System, the ATTS could spin the outer wheel 15% faster while accelerating through the turn. This helped send 80% of the engine torque to a single wheel to curb understeer. It may sound like the recipe for a great sports car, but with 63% weight of the car at the front, the Prelude wasn’t the corner craver it dreamt to be.
The slumping sales and the introduction of the fourth-gen Integra left the Prelude very little space to play in the market. After the introduction of the Japan-exclusive Prelude Type-S, which made 220PS from its 2.2L VTEC petrol engine and rested on overhauled front suspension, Honda commenced the production of the Prelude in October 2001.
The Prelude returns but as a hybrid
The Prelude nameplate has a long-running history, which, even though not as loud as that of the S2000 or the Integra, established a lasting impact in the ‘80s and ’90s. The world stood up and noticed when Honda took the wraps off the Prelude hybrid at the ongoing Japan Mobility Show. The details are as scarce as they can get, leaving us with just the name, and a stunning design that looks nearly production-ready.
The Prelude retains its 2-door body style and a tapering roof line. The front of the Prelude looks similar to the new Civic. Other design details of the Prelude hybrid include connected LED headlights, flared wheel arches, flush-fitting door handles and a connected LED light bar at the back. While surely going to be a production model, Honda is silent about the global launch timeline and specifications of the Prelude.