Minneapolis Street Sighting: Honda Prelude 2.0 Si

Honda had, up until the mid-1990s, a history of building exciting, fun-to-drive, attainable sporty cars. At the head of this class was the Prelude sporty car; based loosely on Accord architecture, the Prelude has always been a slightly sportier version of an Accord coupe, even when it came to styling.

Launched in 1987, this Prelude is a third-generation model; while it looks almost indistinguishable from an Accord coupe at some angles, (especially the front), performance definitely was distinguishable. Whereas the Accord was a stylish economy car, the Prelude actually had performance to back up the good looks.  For instance, the 1987 Prelude Si (when equipped with four-wheel-steering) did a slalom course with a speed of over 65 MH--best such stalwarts as a contemporary Corvette and Porsche 911, and even a Ferrari Testarossa. And-- guess what? It didn't need an extraordinary power figure nor a price tag to match. That Prelude was roughly a $13,000 car.

Although this particular car was a 1990 or 1991 model, the performance credentials are still there. While it isn't considered any term of fast these days, the Prelude was probably the most exciting vehicle in Honda dealerships in 1990, with only the upcoming Acura NSX rivaling it for excitement.

This Prelude was immaculate; as I made my walkaround, I checked Vigor-ously for rust, and did not find any. Almost impossible, no? Apparently not, as this example was rust-free. I did notice that two of the hubcaps had little bits broken off, and that only suggested a few run-ins with a curb. Sad, but its to be expected with a twenty-plus year old car.

I didn't look inside very well, but it appears to be as drama-free as the exterior; no rips, tears or other damage plagued this example, and that's a very good sign. I can hope this car hasn't been a victim of our horrible winter drivers yet; its survived this long, and I bet it will survive more. It certainly deserves it.