Normally, when shooting, I try to avoid most modern (ie 1985 to present) cars, but these first-gen Acura Legend coupes hold a soft spot for me. I have liked them ever since I was a wee child, and as I got older, I noticed their rapid disappearance from the street. It's unusual that I come upon on any examples here in the rust belt, so this one made me take notice. Out came my camera, and away I shot.
In 1986, Honda decided it would launch some of its nicer cars here in the US under a different brand to differentiate them for the more mainstream Honda offerings. While Acura cars generally had more luxurious features than those shared on contemporary Honda models, the basic underpinnings were the same. Most people look at an Acura and say "ooh prestige.." but the car guy in me general says "nice, and since it's a Honda, it won't break down." Yep, true. The success of Acura's initial offerings prompted Toyota and Nissan to join in on the Japanese luxury car trend. Their brands were both brought to the US in 1989. While Lexus focused on luxury until recently, Infiniti's main focal point was performance. Honda balanced a middle ground, marketing cars like the Legend shown above, as well as such goodies such as the much debatable NSX sports-car.
From across the street, at nighttime, it looked great. As I crossed the street and examined it more closely, a different story was told. I'm sure at one point, this Legend was a pretty nice car-- and don't get me wrong, it still is. While the paint does have some luster, it seems that tinworm is slowly taking this car by storm. Even the once-nice wheels are starting to get the better of wear, too. Extensive curb rash and grime plague all four corners. Quite sad, because I bet this car could've cleaned up nicely. Shame, too, because there aren't many Legends left, not to mention Legend coupes.
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