they also had the Integra--a stripped down version of the Prelude. Certainly no need to have both of those cars!

 

I can kinda of see how they had the integra so they didnt need the Lude. But the Integra was stripped down, it weighed less but on the other hand it didnt have all if the features a Lude has and even being heavier a DOHC VTEC and Sh are still quicker from the factory than a GSR. Type Rs dont count cause they werent a major production car. Werent they kind of limited. But the Price tag on a GSR being quite a bit cheaper and only being a couple of tenths slower might have something to do with it. I think overall it was just a time and a place in the market for a front drive sports coupe heaftilly priced that it just couldnt survive.

 

Ohio99Lude: I dont doubt what you said. I'm more dissatisfied with what lame excuses Honda says are Prelude replacements, the Accord coupe doesnt feel the LEAST bit like the Prelude, the RSX while I nice car, when I test drove a Type S...no torque at all in the 03 model, suspension didn't feel so good either (no double wishbone??), the S2000 is the closest (Prelude was the "flagship" Honda now the S2k is) but I'd rather own a coupe with a backseat (even if you cant put a real live human back there).
Maybe I'm just bitter, out of all the cars I've owned I've had 2 Preludes and I thought they felt SOOOOO good to drive and I havent found that in anything else I've driven yet that I'd also consider reliable.

 

I just think people didn't know what exactly to make of it. It's a 4 seater with a 200 hp 4 cylinder in the low 20k price range. Most Americans assimilated Chevy Camaro and Pontiac Firebird with that. And untill very recently, 4 cylinder to most people means economical, not performance. True, it's not the ball busting torque house that a 350 is, but the Prelude by far has the best 4 cylinder - performance wise - that was ever put into a car with more than 2 seats. I mean, even if you consider an Audi A4, their 4 cylinder motors are turbo charged and still don't have that distinctive VTEC growl at high RPM.

The Prelude was just a victim of the times. The late 90's were not great for sports coupes. It's just that simple. Everyone was looking for an SUV.

 

No kidding. Look at how many sports coupes that got killed during the 90s. Rx7, MR2, del sol, 300ZX (350z didn't come until the end of the 90s), etc. It was not a good time for sports coupes... but now the trend is changing. The Toyota scion tc is selling like crazy, mazda 3s are selling great, and domestic companies are playing catch up with compact sports coupes (redline, cobalt, focus, etc).

 

The RX-7's had trouble keeping up with US emissions regs. The RX-7 was in production in Japan until '02.

The MR2 is still in production to this day.

The del Sol sucked, it never sold too well in the first place, so Honda just cut it off after watching it struggle for a few years.

The 300ZX died with the other GT cars that would make good examples (the Supra, 3000GT and Stealth.)

The newest Prelude wasn't a very attractive car to many people. It was fairly big, relied on a little 2.2l engine, and had somewhat cramped back seat. It had a small market, and most of that market bought something else (the Mustang comes to mind.)

 

The MR2 was discontinued (in the US) for quite some years and was brought back only a few years ago. And it's still doing pretty bad. The 300ZX was a good car, too bad.

Small sports coupes from Japan that priced fairly close to 30K was just not selling too well during the 90s. I think the Miata is one of the very few that survived. These cars were too early for their time I guess. Now when people think sporty they think import. When they think sportscar they think vette or german. So I believe now is the best time to start bringing the sports coupes back.

Of course fast and furious did a lot to bring the image, too, sadly.

 

what? preludes died? impossible..if you were talking about the parking lot at my school in so. cal. there has to be atleast 20 preludes there. i went into a small percentage of the parking lot and i saw like 12...while walking away from the parking lot to my school..which wasnt even far..i walked by like 4 ludes. i dont know why they died. i love their engines...even tho i wish i had a h22, but im have a h23 with the internals completely redone with a 9.0 comp and a garret t3/t4 turbo..the only problem is..is my bbk fuel pump and 440 cc fuel injectors..we( prelude owners) already have to pump premium and those huge injectors and the damn fuel pump...chugs my gas..makes me want to buy a hybrid. i feel sorry for the people with injectors bigger than mine...

anyways, i wish they brought the prelude back..i dont think they will ever get rid of the civic or the accord since they both sell soooo well. the accord is a family car..and civic..its a civic. their d16's were quite pathetic. h22 is probably one of the best if not the best 2.2 liter engine out there..for a fwd...and then the f22 is probably one of the best for a RWD...god, how i love honda. they mastered small engines that produce big power...with the exception of usdm civic engines.

 

240 Hp AWD Prelude? Sounds like a nice fast car BUT.....beat a 350z? maybe......Beat a STi or a EVO? not a chance at that HP rating

 

I see AWD going into the S2K before I see them bring the Prelude back with that technology.