1 May 1979
The Prelude was Honda’s sporty two-door coupe rival to the Toyota Celica. Each model was based on the corresponding Accord of the time.
The Mk1 Prelude had a unique body style clothing the Mk1 Accord’s transverse front-wheel drive 59kW 1.6L four-cylinder engine, four-wheel independent strut suspension and five-speed manual/two-speed Hondamatic semi-automatic transmission choices.
The strictly 2+2 seater cabin featured a new dash, bizarre speedometer/tachometer instrumentation, a sunroof and air-conditioning.
In 1980 a three-speed Hondamatic arrived, along with a rear window wiper, while in late ’81 a minor facelift featured a new grille, bumpers and tail-lights, along with standard power steering.
