JMVDesigns fleshes out a 201? Honda Prelude HC2

It's been no secret that here at The Honda Portal, I've been pining for a Next Generation Honda Prelude, and with what Toyota and Subaru have been doing (and doing quite well I might add), I think the market is right for another go around with a Honda Prelude!  C'mon Honda, show off more of your racing roots (I know that the Civic Si and the Accord Coupe are the spiritual successors to the Prelude, but I think that there's room for a non-hybrid performance car!), with a  RWD, high performance 4cyl.

We can dream right?

BTW, great job to jmvdesigns and check out the rest of their galleries here;
http://jmvdesign.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=24

Motortrend: Toyota Supra Successor Back in the Pipeline

C'mon Honda, if Toyota can have a FT-86 and a Supra in their lineup (wouldn't it be nice to see a next gen MR2 as well), surely we can have a Accord Coupe, Civic Si, and a NEW PRELUDE!....

May 03, 2012

By Peter Lyon

Illustrator: Holiday Auto Magazine

As the Supra, Celica, and MR-S (MR2) progressively disappeared over the last decade, so too did the excitement from Toyota's lineup. But sports cars are back in the Japanese giant's product plan, led by the Lexus LFA and the new Scion FR-S, which is just about to hit showroom floors. And now it appears the green lamp is finally about to be lit on a long-awaited Supra successor.

Several years ago, Toyota's U.S.-based product planners pitched a new hybrid sports car with looks, power, and environmental credentials. Unveiled at the 2007 Detroit auto show as the FT-HS, the concept reportedly pointed the way toward a reinterpretation of the Supra.

 

The financial crisis of 2008 prevented the FT-HS from becoming anything more than an attractive concept. But the spirit of that coupe survived and is reportedly being channeled into the design of the on-again, off-again, on-again Supra project. The edges and sharp angles you see in the attached illustration at top are how one artist interprets the direction Toyota is believed to be heading with its new sports car.

The car's final body is expected to be dropped onto the chassis of the GRMN MRS prototype, which has already undergone testing at Fuji Speedway. GRMN stands for Gazoo Racing Meister of Nurburgring, and was named after Nurburgring expert Hiromu Naruse, Toyota's late godfather of sports car development.

Unlike the rear-drive FT-HS, the new sports coupe (it's unlikely to be called Supra) would employ an all-wheel-drive system and generate upwards of 400 horsepower. The car is rumored to feature a mid-engine-mounted, 3.5-liter V-6 hybrid setup mated to a CVT lifted from the new Lexus RX, but tuned for higher performance. The engine would drive the rear wheels, while in-wheel electric motors would power the fronts. GRMN's expertise would be utilized to help develop the car.

The million-dollar question is when we'll see it in production. It's no secret that company CEO Akio Toyoda -- weekend racer, sports car addict, and the driving force behind bringing the extravagantly priced LFA to market -- is enthusiastic about a Supra successor. Toyota bosses haven't officially approved the project, but if Toyoda has his way and the economy shows continued signs of recovery, the new coupe could be on showroom floors by late 2015 for less than $60,000.

Source;

http://www.motortrend.com/future/future_vehicles/1205_toyota_supra_successor_back_in_the_pipeline/

Next Generation Honda Prelude?!?!?

Well, not sure what any of this really means (any higher ups in Honda that I've spoken to have always denied any re-kindling of the Prelude), for all I know these are just conceptual ideas by non-official Honda people, but I for one have not been shy about wanting to see a Next Generation Honda Prelude! Thought I'd pass this along.

Using google translate, this is what I found;

"The highly anticipated 42nd edition of the Tokyo motorshow will be held this year from wednesday November 30 to Sunday 11 December. Among the constructors announce to the event, Honda will be the focus of the show with his series of prototypes and new electric and hybrid cars, marketed in 2012.

In addition to some clichés circulating on the web, Honda has not given all the details sure the prototype of the world eagerly awaited electric.

Although the undercarriage is that of the Honda Accord, the Prelude has stood out as a two-door coupe with a silhouette rather low (4.09 m long and 1.29 m high).

Honda recently unveiled seven new concepts set for the submission of the Tokyo Motor Show. Among these figure prototypyes a 100% electric cabriolet that is sure to stir the curiosity of visitors: the small sports EV concept.

This two-door coupe has been translated into five generations. Competitor of the Toyota Celica, 4-cylinder sports coupe appeared a few years before the Prelude, it faces other Nissan Silvia, Isuzu Implse, Mitsubishi FTO, Mitsubishi Cordia, Ford Probe and Mazda MX-6."

Source;

http://visions-autos.sport24.com/r16293/Honda/

What If? What would you like to see on the Next Generation Honda Prelude?

Well, I would have to class this one as a big 'wish' on my part. Honda has been pretty adamant about leaving the Prelude retired. Whenever I have asked a higher up in Honda why they aren't bringing the Prelude back I get the 'that's basically what the new Civic Si is' or 'that's what the new Accord Coupe is'. I could definately make a case for the 06' Civic and up as a spiritual successor, but c'mon, at least have a special 'Prelude edition' or something.

Anyways, I digress, if Honda (and that's a big IF) were to ever think about bringing back the Honda Prelude, what do you think it should have?

Post your ideas in the comments section, and let's see what comes up, who knows, maybe Honda's listening....

I'll start it off....
-NO hybrid!
-6 speed manual is a must, with a base model Automatic available.
-SH-AWD
-a high performance 4cyl, say a tweeked 2000 S2000 2.0litre variant, raw, with 250hp.
-dual exhaust
-panoramic moonroof
-low to the ground with a sports tuned double wishbone suspension
-18" alloys with HP rubber

MotorTrend: Is Honda Returning to Its Sports Car Roots?

At a press conference in early February, Honda CEO Takanobu Ito shocked the world's media when he nonchalantly revealed plans to launch a detuned production version of the V8-powered HSV-010 race car. Of course, he was referring to a road-going variant of the NSX successor project, which was shelved several years ago.

As it turns out, the next NSX (which is expected to be powered by a 400-plus hp V-8) features heavily in the company's renewed plan to pump out as many as three sports cars over the next several years.

Just over six weeks ago, a killer earthquake and tsunami threatened to cancel this about-face from Honda, and rob us of some of the most exciting news to come out of Japan since the Nissan GT-R surfaced three years ago.

But a reliable source close to Honda tells us that while these plans have been postponed as the company sorts out its parts supply problems, they are not dead in the water. In the last few weeks, we have been hearing that Honda is working on a high performance coupe powered by a 3.5 liter V-6 plug-in hybrid, a concept that Ito himself briefly mentioned.

The rebirth of the Acura RSX, the car you see pictured here in an artist's representation, is also on the near-term agenda. According our sources, the next-gen RSX will inherit a version of the just-launched ninth-generation Civic Si's 201 hp, i-VTEC 2.4 liter gas engine with slick 6-speed manual and helical LSD. Fitted with specially tuned sports suspension, the new RSX will also employ an interior inspired by the current Civic Type R and an exterior in a sharp, wedge shape.

Further down the line, Honda is also said to be developing a "more reasonably priced" C-segment sports coupe. Driven by a strong request from North American Honda dealers, this coupe is being developed with that market in mind and will incorporate Accord hardware.

One other concept that we have covered before and awaits the results of Honda's so-called "R-evaluation executive session" is a successor to the Beat. The original Beat was an open-top two-door, mid-engined 660cc minicar that could rev to 8500 rpm, and the next generation promises to be a new interpretation of that concept with a 1.3 to 1.5 liter gas engine. If built, don't expect the Beat to come to the U.S. We have also heard rumors of a hotter CR-Z getting a 190 hp-plus 2.0 liter gas unit, but that's all we have at the moment, rumors.

Source;
http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2011/1105_is_honda_returning_to_its_sports_car_roots/index.html

What Could have been, the Next Gen Honda Prelude HC2

I have displayed the front pic before but I hadn't seen the side and rear views before, so I thought I'd pass it on. Great looking car, even today.

Source;
http://jmvdesign.deviantart.com/art/Honda-Prelude-HC2-Renders-89341046?q=gallery%3Ajmvdesign%2F4106748&qo=22

Toyota FT-86 concept gets a family-style welcome

Wow, does this ever look hot! C'mon Honda, respond with the next Prelude!

Toyota Motor Co. president Akio Toyoda has stressed that his family's company must work to create more emotionally engaging products as part of its bid to reinvent its now-battered image. Central to that effort will be the production version of its well-received FT-86 Sports Concept, the two-door rear-driver that made its European debut at this week's Geneva Motor Show, where it drew quite a crowd.

Toyota now appears to be pushing its brand's enthusiast heritage, something it hasn't truly done with fresh products in some time – at least not outside of its Lexus brand. In any case, the Japanese automaker has just released a series of new photos, including a family portrait of sorts that places the FT-86 in the context of the Corolla AE86 (its most obvious spiritual predecessor) as well as the Celica and Supra. Although the press release available after the jump pays lip service to the MR2, none is pictured.

While there is no substantive new information about a production timetable for the comely coupe, Toyota has released a series of images of the FT-86 that are certainly worth perusing. You can check them out below while you're waiting for more info about the car's future.

Source;

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/05/toyota-ft-86-concept-gets-a-family-style-welcome/

IF there were to be a Next Gen Honda Prelude, It is Voted to get a High Performance 4 Cylinder Engine

Honda Prelude Unanimous Winner in Retired Revival Survey

In case it's too hard to read thats 69 votes out of 140 going to the Prelude. Can't say I'm too surprised. Really makes you wonder what could have been....

Rendering of Nissan's 2011 240SX

What could this mean to Honda? It could ignite the 'spark' needed to get the Next Gen Prelude moved from 'pipe dream' to reality. Although on the down side of sportscar news, Toyota has said that they've scrapped ideas for the upcoming Supra so that they could focus their efforts towards Hybrids.