Honda Needs A Prelude Type SH Sport Coupe Again
Honda really left a big gap in it’s lineup by axing cars like the Type SH.
Honda has a bit of a problem right now with their lineup. Apart from the Civic Si coupe, they have exactly zero other 2-door offerings. That’s a shame, because as a personal sports coupe, we really like the Prelude.
Arguably, the BB generation was one of the best. Not because it was the last one, but because it stuck to a Honda philosophy that seems to have been a bit lost recently. Style-wise, it’s a very simple design with almost no embellishments what so ever. Yet, still it is unmistakably a Honda.
We especially like the restrained look of, well, everything. Including the color, like this one we found on Bring A Trailer. You can’t get the pretty Ficus Green Pearl on this Prelude with a new Civic Si. Only Energy Green, which some may call “loud.” Compared to the new, chunky, Civic Si, the Prelude actually comes off as petite. No monstrous wheels, either. You get just 16-inches worth of rim on the SH, yet the performance of this car was never in doubt.
Granted, the Prelude is no match for new Honda performance. Starting with the BB generation, 4-wheel-steering was eschewed from the lineup and whether it was a base model or Type SH, it only came with one (peppy) engine. But the performance could be described as honest.
Back when this car was made, lap times didn’t matter, and feel did. There’s no flashy aerodynamics, no loud gauges or interactive screens on the inside. In fact the only adjustments the car ever received was directly through the inputs of the driver.
If it seems like we are waxing poetical over things of the past, you’re completely right. An abundance of attention – ours included – has been focused on new accomplishments from the Honda lineup. But they say that when someone is making something new, they wind up breaking something else.
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