The modified Honda Prelude brings the character of the CRX to the JDM Coupe in an era when two-door Hondas were plentiful.
With the discontinuation of production of the Civic Coupe, Honda has phased out two-door cars in the US for the first time in decades.Although the coupe may not attract numbers JDM The buyers they once went to, their fans still exist, as does the nostalgia for Honda Coupes of the past.
One notable example is the Honda Prelude, which was pulled out of Honda’s portfolio in the early 2000s. Designer @jlord8 taps into that nostalgia with his rendering of the Honda Prelude hatchback. The two-door and hatch combination gives the famous nameplate a fresh look.
Honda Prelude Hot Hatchback
The render-altered Honda Prelude uses the body style of the fifth-generation Prelude, which debuted in Honda showrooms in 1996, as its base. The design remains close to his 5th generation stock from the B-pillar onwards. The driver’s door, windshield, roofline, hood, and overall face of the car remain the same as the production Prelude.
The rendering is a right-hand drive design, and that’s the only major visual difference from the stock US market Prelude.
Immediately behind the B-pillar, the rear glass extends from the Prelude’s normal coupe design. The rear roof line has also been extended to accommodate the cargo area before sloping to match the hatchback design. The design looks natural on the car, giving it a shooting brake feel and adding a bit of practicality to the two-door he coupe.
The production prelude could have with a 5-speed manual transmission. In this rendering, we check a few different kinds of zest boxes: a stick, two doors, a hatch, and so on.
Why did Honda discontinue the Prelude?
After more than 20 years of running, the Prelude was put out to pasture by Honda in 2001 to make room for the fourth generation Honda Integra. The Integra was completely redesigned and adopted his RSX name for the US market under the Acura brand. This change was to conform to Acura’s alphabetical nomenclature throughout the lineup. It’s worth noting that the Honda brand lineup at the time was quite different from what it is today.
In 2001, Honda buyers wanting a sporty, compact two-door had a list of options. An S2000 convertible, a Honda Civic coupe, a particularly sporty Si trim, and a V6-equipped Accord coupe were all available in 2001. Each car competed to some degree with the Prelude. Continuing production as a separate model line no longer makes sense. Cannibalism over Integra/RSX sales has added fuel to the fire.
A two-door hatchback is not an idea Honda has never tried before. The Honda CRX is a notable production example incorporating a two-door design with hatch openings. The first generation of Insight is also a notable example. These models make this Prelude hatchback an impossibly unremarkable car. Honda’s hot hatch offering today is the Honda Civic Type R, but Acura is selling a newly updated version of the Integra that uses the hatchback body style.