- Honda is bringing back the Prelude, a model that has a great history.
- With a rev-happy 2.2-liter VTEC four and a crisp-handling chassis, this Type SH is bound to put a grin on your face.
- This final-gen example is nicely equipped and looks sharp in silver over black.
Confirmed to be returning for a sixth generation, the Prelude has always been Honda letting its hair down a little. Not a full performance-oriented car packed with screaming revs like the S2000 or the Integra Type R, the Prelude was pitched as a fun and sporty coupe, relatively affordable and well-made, more special than an Accord or Civic but still sensible. Such is a recipe for a great modern classic.
Take for example this 2001 Prelude Type SH, for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos). Everything you want is here: gutsy VTEC-equipped four-cylinder power, a five-speed manual so you can row your own gears, an all-business cabin uncluttered by screens, and luxuries like air conditioning and a CD player. Best of all, this one’s a top-of-the-line Type SH model, its handling as highly polished as Preludes ever got for the U.S. market.
In a six-car shootout from 1997, when this model was new, we crowned a Prelude Type SH the best-handling car priced under $30K, beating out usual suspects like the E36 BMW 3-Series and the Mazda Miata. It wasn’t a case of votes cast by the stopwatch, but rather overall polish and sophistication. When Honda gets it right, it really gets it right, and such was the case for the fifth-gen Prelude.
It was pure golden-age Honda. The suspension was a control-arm setup, the steering was rack-and-pinion (a slightly quicker rack in the Type SH), and the chassis was notably stiffened over the previous-generation Prelude. Under the hood, a 2.2-liter four-cylinder offered decent torque for everyday driving duties, and made peak power of 200 horsepower at 7000 rpm. A modern Civic Si calls time at 6600 rpm, but the Prelude’s four will rev all the way past its 7400 rpm redline to an 8000 rpm fuel cut.
It feels quicker than it is, thanks to the noticeable switchover at 5250 rpm, when Honda’s well-known variable Valve Timing and Electronic Control (VTEC) kicks in. That little rush to redline is part of what makes driving a Prelude feel special, but overall it’s more the way the car works as a whole, each element fussed with to create a cohesive approach. It would not be a stretch to call it a “poor man’s NSX,” but it’s also a far more practical classic than the mid-engined Acura.
The only problem seems to be that not many Preludes have weathered the past 20 years, when they were just old, affordable Honda coupes. Not aged enough to become a classic, and offering VTEC performance during the height of compact performance enthusiasm brought on by the Fast and Furious movies was not a great recipe for survival. Finding a Prelude that someone hasn’t messed with is tough.
The good news here is that this one has just 47K miles on its odometer. It’s had some paintwork here and there, but no crash damage is reported on the Carfax, and the color combination of silver over black is both classic for the marque and hard-wearing. Keeping it looking like it just rolled off a lot in 2001 will be easy.
Honda has kept silent about what kind of powertrain will be available in the new Prelude, but don’t hold your breath for a two-door Civic Type-R. There’s even a good chance the new car could be hybridized, or just get the Civic Si’s turbocharged 1.5-liter engine. The reborn Prelude may well be a fine car, but it has big shoes to fill.
Instead, you can pick up a Prelude from the era when pretty much every Honda was something special. It’s past time the Prelude got its due as a collectible classic.
The auction ends on August 13.
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
