The concept sports coupe first shown off last year will debut at the U.K. Goodwood Festival of Speed mid-July
- Honda says it’ll build a production version of its Prelude Concept and market it in Europe
- A revamped version of the concept will make its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
- After bowing some 45 years ago, the nameplate’s laid dormant since 2001
Or perhaps we should say “re-entry.” After all, the Prelude nameplate first appeared some 45 years ago, sticking around for five generations until it was dumped in the 2001 model year. The red machine on these digital pages is still technically a concept, and it will show up at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this month, but Honda has confirmed the production model will return to – at minimum – the European region. Rumours strongly suggest it’ll land ashore in North America, too.
A simple glance at the Prelude confirms it could be a tremendous foil to the Toyota GR 86 and Subaru BRZ, even if Honda is asserting there will be some level of electrification in the model when it reaches market. This doesn’t mean it will be all-electric, rather deploying some sort of hybrid powertrain on which company engineers have yet to spill many beans.
“The new Prelude not only marks the latest chapter in our ever-evolving hybrid story,” said Tomoyuki Yamagami, Chief Engineer and Large Project Leader, Honda Motor in a statement. “It is also the product of 25 years of pioneering hybrid research and development.”
Done right, there’s nothing wrong with that type of grunt in this type of car; tuned correctly, it could provide the best of both worlds, with ample low-end gumption from the electric motors while a gasoline-powered engine fills in the upper range with a quick-revving high-rpm engine that could come only from Honda. Guesstimates place power at just over 200 horses. The expense of hybridization could mean it’ll be more expensive than a GR 86, though we’re just glad for a new coupe in the world instead of yet another crossover.
The appearance of this announcement also gives us a great reason to run photos of an original Prelude, shown here in white and with right-hand-drive. Back then, the car measured 4,090 millimetres (161.0 inches) long and just 1,290 mm (51.8 inches) tall. By the time it departed in 2001, it had grown by nearly 500 mm in length, though its height was roughly the same. In contrast, today’s Civic is about two feet longer and four inches taller than an OG Prelude.
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