Have you ever heard of the name Honda Prelude ? For those of you who were born in the 1980s and 1990s, it seems like you have heard the name Prelude. But for those who were born in the 2000s, it is not certain that they have seen or heard the name Prelude.
Talking about the Prelude, actually this one car is quite thick with speed. Because Honda created the Prelude to deal directly with several competitors. Call it the Toyota Celica , Nissan Silvia and Mitsubishi Eclipse.
The Prelude itself is a sports coupe sedan that was produced from 1978 to 2001. There are 5 generations that have been released by Honda. But one generation that is quite iconic is the third generation which was released in 1987 to 1991.
This one car turns out to have a little unique story. The first is the use of the name Prelude which was originally the name to be used by Toyota. But in a friendly manner, Toyota actually gave the name to Honda to use.
According to the large Indonesian dictionary (KBBI) Prelude also has a meaning, bro. The meaning is a short song that was created to start the real music. So Prelude in short means the opening song of the music.
First Generation Prelude
The first generation Prelude was born in 1978 to 1982. You could say that this first generation was quite unattractive in design. The lights are boxy, and have a roof with a moonroof as a factory default. The dimensions are also compact, only 4 meters long, 1.6 meters wide and 1.2 meters high.
This first generation was equipped with an EL, 1,602 cc, 4 cylinder, SOHC coded engine. The power of this engine reaches 78 hp with a maximum torque of 127 Nm. The transmission offered consists of a 3-speed automatic and a 5-speed manual. This first generation has successfully sold 313 thousand units for the global market.
Second Generation Prelude
The second generation was born in 1982 to 1987. The model was made more streamlined and modern. There are several machines released by Honda for this Prelude. The first is the A18A coded engine with a capacity of 1,829 cc with 102 hp. Then there is also the A20A engine with a capacity of 1,829 cc with CVCC technology with a power of 108 hp.
Then there is also the engine with the best performance, coded B20A with a power of 158 hp. Finally, there is also the B20A1 engine for the European market which has 135 hp power. All machines are offered with two transmission options, 5 speed manual and 4 speed automatic. In this second generation, Honda began using semi-pop up lights on the Prelude.
In England, the existence of this Prelude is very popular. In that country, Prelude sales are quite good, so the population is quite large. In that year, the Prelude is equipped with power steering and ABS brakes.
Third Generation Prelude
Well, the third generation of Prelude is what we usually see in Indonesia. Indeed, initially this car was not officially sold in Indonesia. This two-door car was only used as an imported car by a number of general importers currently in Indonesia. The design is really cool.
The lights have used a pop up model, equipped with a sunroof, a more stylish glass design and more modern curves. This generation Prelude was produced from 1987 to 1991. Because of its cooler design, the Prelude won the title as the third best car in Europe in 1988.
Prelude is under Peugeot 405 in the main position and Citroen AX in second position. In that year it’s cool, you know, there are non-European manufacturers who can win the title as the best car in Europe. Apart from the new design, the Prelude is also famous for its capable handling.
It is proven that the third generation Prelude is quite respected in the slalom test event held by various media. As a result, Prelude recorded excellent times at various slalom events.
Fourth Generation Prelude
In 1991 Honda released the fourth generation of the Prelude. This generation was produced until 1996. The design is much cooler. For some people, this fourth generation Prelude is the prettiest Prelude after the third generation with pop up headlamps.
In the fourth generation, the design at a glance resembles the Honda Integra. In terms of handling, the fourth generation Prelude is much better than the previous generation. This is because the increase in weight distribution in this generation has reached 58% in front and 42% behind.
The steering system also uses an electronic model with an increased engine capacity. The engine uses a capacity of 2,200 cc, 4 cylinders. 158 hp power and already using VTEC technology. The brakes also clearly use ABS similar to the Honda Vigor. In Indonesia, this fourth generation is quite rare. If there is, the owner is usually reluctant to take the car out. Or sometimes it can also be found at a quite prestigious car meet up event. For your information, this generation Prelude was also a safety car in the Formula 1 (F1) event in 1994 at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Fifth Generation Prelude
The next generation is the fifth and final generation of the Honda Prelude. Production started from 1997 to 2001. You could say this generation has a design that many people think is no better than the two previous generations.
This Honda design language style actually refers more to the third generation Prelude. So that the design is made a little more boxy. Unfortunately, the presence of this generation of Prelude was unable to boost Honda’s sales to make it better. The Honda Prelude is offered with two types of engines, namely the F22B and H22A.
The two machines have different power. The F22B engine sold in the Japanese market has a peak power of 160 PS for the Si type. Then for the H22A engine it has a peak power of 220 PS for the SiR S-Spec type.
From the first to the fifth generation, it was the fifth generation that sold the least. Sales recorded only 58,118 units during its production period. In total, from the first to the fifth generation the Prelude successfully sold 826,082 units worldwide.