Mugen Is Already Getting Close with the Prelude
Mugen’s team have already taken the Prelude to the sports-car status where it needs to be.
Honda’s newest old car, the Prelude, has barely reached production. But that hasn’t stopped Mugen from adding a bit of spice to the sports coupe. Via Car and Driver, we’ve found that just about all areas of visual presentation can be changed to a more agressive and sporty nature.
If we were to define the changes, we’d sum it up as “subtle aero.” Most of the changes are near the bottom of the car, with the only upper elements being the tiny lip spoiler on the trunk, and finned/winged mirrors. Scan your eyes down, and you’ll see more fins. The front chin spoiler is deeper and more aggressive, with fins that wrap around and point skyward just in front of the front wheel.
This same styling element is found along the side skirts. An upward fin sits both behind the front wheel, and just forward of the rear wheel. Between those fins, the skirt itself juts outward. And out back, a diffuser-style rear valance is added to the lower section of the bumper. All in black, of course.
None of these aero bits would likely have any real performance benefit, but they do make for a visually appealing Prelude. The wheels, however should have a performance difference. Made with BBS, these lightweight rims shave an impressive 35 pounds of unsprung weight. Track day enthusiasts will tell you that if you can shave weight there, it’s like a performance multiplier.
Unfortunately, theres no news of any real horsepower upgrades yet. There is mention of a performance oil filter… whatever that means. But anyway, the hybrid engine in the Prelude might be a bit of a hinderance, though that hasn’t stopped people from putting correct engines in. That’s especially true with the Prelude sharing a number of parts from the Type R, we know its not long before someone makes a Prelude that Honda should have made all along. After all, with the absence of a Civic Coupe, Honda hasn’t had a performance 2-door since the RSX.
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