Used Honda Prelude Engines For Sale

Honda is a Japanese automaker that manufactured the Prelude from 1978 to 2001. The two-door coupe, which was produced across five versions, was mostly based on the Honda Accord. Honda utilized the Prelude to launch its Japanese retail sales network, Honda Verno, with the model’s global introduction following soon after.

When the fourth-generation Integra was introduced in 2001, production of the Prelude came to an end.

Toyota had a trademark on the term “Prelude” at first, but Honda was granted permission to use it. In addition to the Quintet,  Accord, Jazz, Concerto and Ballade, Honda employed a series of musically related car names at the time, and the Prelude fits within that concept.

1st Generation

The Prelude entered the Japanese market on November 24, 1978. The international debut occurred two months later at the 1979 AutoRAI in Amsterdam. In Japan, it could only be purchased via the recently launched Honda Verno dealership sales channel. The Honda Quint, Honda Ballade, and Honda Vigor, which is based on the Accord, were also released by this dealership group as their biggest sedans and hatchbacks. All-wheel-independent struts, brakes, and an engine were taken from the first-generation Accord, while the chassis was designed from scratch by Prelude head engineer Hiroshi Kizawa.

It had a somewhat low and broad profile at 4,090 mm in length, 1,635 mm in width, and 1,290 mm in height. 60 mm shorter than the original Accord’s wheelbase, it measured 2,320 mm. 

It seems that Honda took a tiny vehicle, like the Accord, installed a more bigger engine, and gave the body a short trunk and a big engine hood, after the successful launch of the Toyota Celica example. The first vehicles under two liters with standard power steering were the Prelude and vintage Accord. As a result of Honda’s work on sports vehicles like the S800 and the Coupé 1300,  the Prelude was able to take use of that knowledge as well.

The motorized moonroof, which later became a Prelude hallmark, was first offered as standard equipment on a Honda vehicle with the Prelude. The US versions of the Prelude gained a glass top, which allowed for increased headroom, but the Japanese versions of the vehicle were only offered with a movable metal sunroof.  Japanese customers paid somewhat more yearly road taxes to pay than those who purchased the compact Civic, which also featured a smaller engine. Despite being advertised as a 2+2, only tiny children could fit in the back seat. 

The Prelude’s first reviews were positive. “It is, by every reasonable standard, a wonderful car, according to Brock Yates’ article for Motor Trend. The vehicle, like all Hondas, exhibits craftsmanship that, in my view, is only narrowly topped by Mercedes-Benz. By any measure, it is a modestly powerful small car.” At 70 miles per hour, Motor Trend timed an early Prelude at 18.8 seconds in the quarter mile. It shared many mechanical components with the Honda Accord, although having a slightly greater peak speed and better gas consumption due to its smaller size and lighter weight.

Back of the SN Prelude
The “EL” SOHC eight-valve, 1,602 cc (non-CVCC), inline-four engine was the industry standard at the time of its debut. It was rated at 80 PS (59 kW) at 5,000 rpm and 12.9 kgm (127 Nm; 93 lbft) at 3,500 rpm.

With the exception of the US and Japan, it remained the sole engine offered in the majority of markets. It had a two-barrel carburetor and a non-automatic choke with three settings. The bigger “EK” SOHC 12-valve 1,751 cc CVCC inline-four, rated at 90 PS (66 kW) at 5,300 rpm, was debuted in Japan in September 1978. (SAE gross).

The horsepower of automatics was five less. The Prelude didn’t make an appearance in the US until March 1979, when its bigger 1.8-liter engine produced 72 horsepower (54 kW) at 4,500 rpm and 94 lb-ft (127 Nm) at 3,000 rpm (SAE net). The EK engine had a transistor-controlled ignition system and an engine oil cooler.

The base five-speed manual transmission was the only option, followed by the two-speed “Hondamatic” semi-automatic transmission that, by October 1979, had been replaced with a three-speed automatic that utilized the last gear as the overdrive. In select areas, a “Executive” option was available along with the basic textiles seen in most models, adding power steering plus Connolly leather upholstery.

Honda employed a single central gauge cluster design for this vehicle, combining the tachometer and speedometer into a single device whose needles moved in the same arc

. Alongside the gauge cluster, they also mounted the little AM/FM radio up high. The Prelude included tinted windows, intermittent wipers, and a remote boot release. The CVCC-II engine, which included a catalytic converter and various other improvements to increase driveability, was first introduced in 1980.

The Prelude also saw a minor redesign in 1981. With this update, the much criticized “Concentrated Target Meter” dashboard was replaced with a more conventional one. Along with a redesigned grille, the 1981 Prelude also got stainless steel trim strips for the bumpers and side moldings. Honda produced 313,000 units between 1978 and 1982, with 80 percent going to markets outside of Japan. 

The Prelude was first offered in Europe in 1979, but sales were not particularly robust due to its high asking price.

Honda Prelude Video

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