The Rise And Fall Of The Honda Prelude

What happened to the iconic Honda Prelude? Why was it discontinued? Is it coming back in 2028 like the rumours say? Today we look back at every model year and dive into the Prelude's rise, fall and possible resurrection.

Chapters:

0:00 - The Honda Prelude: A Sports Car For Grownups
0:47 - 1st Generation (1979 - 1982)
2:42 - 2nd Generation (1983 - 1987)
5:34 - 3rd Generation (1988 - 1991)
10:35 - 4th Generation (1992 -1996)
13:49 - 5th Generation (1997 - 2001)

[o-d-cole]

3rd gen prelude 4ws is the best generation. I own one and there is nothing else like it to drive, the 4ws is much more noticeable than people realise, especially at low and high speeds and when changing lanes on the highway for example. If anyone ever gets a chance to drive one I highly recommend it.

[Tetsu]

I love my 5th gen Prelude. It is nearly stock other than a 1" lowering to get rid of that horrendous mosnter truck wheel gap, and cold air intake for just a little "oomph" noise when accelerating. Gave it a paint job last year & I constantly get compliments for it.

[matthewtodd]

My first car was a Red 85 Prelude. My girlfriend at the time (who’s now my wife) had a Black 90 SR. Now we have a Black 2000 SH. 5th Gen is my fav and will have forever car. Great video!

[dangoesracing]

My first car was a ‘89 Prelude Si with 4WS. Loved that car. Red with a body kit, mag wheels, etc. It got a lot of attention, and was a lot of fun to drive.

One thing people don’t realise is how huge the boot space was. A friend had a huge sound system in his, and still had what in most cars would be considered a full sized boot.

Unfortunately Honda really botched the 4th gen design. It was widely considered as ugly, and didn’t have anywhere near the appeal of the 3rd gen.

[RealAmericanHero]

I remember seeing that 1993 Prelude as a kid and thought it was really a beautiful car.

[evanhanley]

I just bought myself a prelude si 4ws, and I’m so in love with the back wheels turning. I’m still learning manual so I haven’t gotten up to high speeds with it yet, but the U-turns on that car are insane

[admintuning]

What a great video. The 3rd and 5th gen Preludes were the best looking and I enjoyed driving the 5th gen a lot.

[hellcatfreak]

Best video to explain preludes man! Good job
I have a 2001 prelude and I absolutely love it

[dunbar]

I bought a 93 Prelude VTEC in 1998. Still my favorite car from a price paid ($11k) versus driving enjoyment and overall ownership experience. I almost bought a 5th Gen when I moved to Los Angeles but convinced myself I needed an automatic and would only get a Prelude with a manual. My friend just bought an ‘01 S2000 for $40k so it’s crazy what some of these cars are going for now.

[_Yep_Yep_]

The 1990s prelude with 4 wheel steering was the perfect car. Breaks my heart that they gave up on 4ws after hitting such a home run.

[jeanphillips]

The 4WS was worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY in my opinion. Loved my Prelude and wish I had it today ... the one that got away

[TheBbprelude]

4th is by far the best one. Lighter and more classic sport car lines equiped with a H series monster.

[JelloSpucci]

I have a 90 prelude with the B20A5. i bought it a little over a year ago for $900 CAD. got really lucky on that one

[michaelmiller]

I currently have the 3rd gen 1989 prelude. I love this car. The handling is amazing. It’s getting to be a pain in the ass to find parts but worth it in my opinion.

[antonialeitz]

Gen 3 and Gen 5 equal my fav Preludes xx

[cesarjom]

This video was really awesome, so much great information (including all marketing ads and model catalogs content) on the iconic Prelude, what I think was the Honda company's only ever true (two-door) sports coupe -- the S2000, Civic, Accord all filling other markets. Thanks for this!!

I still have my 1996 Honda Prelude VTEC (the last year of its generation). It sits in my garage, the perfect sports car, I cannot part with it even though I drive an Acura RDX A-Spec as my daily ride. The fourth generation Prelude was really one of Honda's best all time designs, in handling/performance and aesthetically. Only an NSX would replace that already taken spot in my garage 😁.

[chuongnguyen]

Thank for sharing this informative video. I currently owned 1998 Honda Prelude Type SH and I truly appreciated the sporty design, mechanics, and reliability. That raw old school VTEC never gets old and it will always put a smile on my face. In today market, these cars are more rare and collectible, which I'm thankful for having this car.

[blinkybill]

I had an 88 Prelude XX twin carb model and I loved it. My friend had a fuel injected model and he would smoke me, but then I didn't drive it into a steel dumpster, lol. Wish I had kept it and looked after it. Best car I ever had.

[bobbyshizz]

Best car I ever owned was an 86 SI. I was young and often treated her badly, but she ran forever. Wish I still had her.

[djj]

Fellow lowermainlander here, Ive got a 01 prelude and 88 prelude with 4ws and the 88 is by far my favorite. Driving a car with 4ws is like no other driving experience. The low speed maneuverability has saved me a number of times and its a blast to drive at high speeds. The 4ws comes with a strange feeling of having the backend kick out from behind you without loosing traction. Aswell the turning radius is crazy. Extremely fun and agile car to drive, would highly recommend owning or driving one if you get the chance.