Celebrate Honda's Birthday With 5 Of The Best Hondas Ever Built

"DailyTurismo" (thedailyturismo)
09/24/2014 at 14:37 • Filed to: Daily Turismo, Blog

Exactly 66 years ago on today ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ) the Honda Motor Corp was incorporated in Japan by Soichiro Honda. Let's celebrate the past decades with a short segment on the best cars to ever be born from Dreams.

Honda started out making a motorized bicycle (nicknamed the Bata Bata for its engine sound) using surplus Tohatsu 2-stroke engines from radio generators, but they soon ran out of the engines and started making their own. It was from these humble beginnings, and only three years after multiple atomic bombs and uncountable quantities of conventional weapons had reduced the Land of the Rising Sun to shambles, that Honda in his 170 square foot workshack launched a commercial empire.

Makes you wonder what sort of men are struggling to innovate in countries like Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan and what their impact on the world will be in half a century. Will they make as significant an impact on the world as men like Soichiro Honda or Takeo Fujisawa? Only time will tell, but the ability to man to rise from the depths of disaster is almost limitless. Enough meandering madness, let's get to the top 5.

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Starting out the top five is one of the best cars to ever come out of a Honda factory, find this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! bidding for $21,000 with ...even with an autotragic transmission, this car looks too good to be true.. seller nenelovesnena has zero feedback, the car has New York plates and is offered in Florida...but hey, it could be a person who has recently moved and this is the first eBay transaction...yeah...probably a scammer. Sigh . If anyone sees a better NSX for sale, post a link in the comments.

4. Honda Prelude 5th Gen

The fourth generation Honda Prelude may have been superseded by the Acura RSX, but it was really a swan song for the era of fun-to-drive cars with a Honda badge on the front. Nothing has really been exciting to drive since the Honda's entry into the pony car segment went away. Find this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! offered for $4,500 in Oxnard, CA via craigslist. The hardest part of finding a good Prelude is finding one that hasn't been modified by idiots.

3. Honda CRX

If you think trying to find a stock Prelude is tricky, just try and find a non modified CRX Si! It is like trying to find a cotter pin in a pile of needle bearings. The best we could do on short notice was this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! currently bidding for $2,500 reserve-not-met with 1 day to go, located in Nicholson, GA. It has had a recent paint job, but the wheels don't look bad and it doesn't have a giant wing, so it gets a pass.

2. Acura Legend

The Acura Legend was the first North American vehicle to be powered by one of Honda's over engineered C-series V6 engines. The Legend was also available with a 6-speed manual gearbox in 1993, which was at least a few years ahead of the Japanese/German competition, and a decade ahead of Detroit. Find this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! offered for $13,975 or best offer on eBay with only 45k miles on the clock, located in Denver, CO.

1. Honda S2000

If you have never driven an S2000 in anger, you might not get the choice of the little convertible for best used Honda, because on paper it doesn't seem that special. Even putting around in traffic it drives like any other Honda, but give it the beans and the 9000 rpm 4-banger comes alive. The chassis is fantastic, steering feedback is second to none and the interior is top notch. The S2000 isn't just the best convertible that Honda ever built, it is arguably the best convertible ever manufactured for public consumption. The best part? They aren't even that expensive to buy or own. Find this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! offered for $11,000 buy-it-now on eBay, located in Athens, TN with 3 days to go.

See something we missed? !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Image credits; eBay, craigslist, Honda.

DISCUSSION (16)

MIATAAAA > DailyTurismo
09/24/2014 at 14:39

Needs more Beat.

Kinja'd!!!

DailyTurismo > MIATAAAA
09/24/2014 at 14:46

A few cool Hondas missed the list; Ridgeline, Beat, Fit, Accord, CBR-600, HA-420...the list goes on...

Smultron > DailyTurismo
09/24/2014 at 14:53

"The S2000 isn't just the best convertible that Honda ever built, it is arguably the best convertible ever manufactured for public consumption."

Kinja'd!!!

One could argue, that these are both "better" in a way.

The S2000 was an extraordinary car, but it wasn't perfect, especially not if you wanted a smooth driving experience with warm air being blown at your neck and everything...

Or at a tight budget.

But that VTEC let forget...

Tekamul > DailyTurismo
09/24/2014 at 15:11

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*Please note, if you love the CBR, sorry I didn't include it in any form, it's just not my thing

5) VFR
98hp V-4

Kinja'd!!!

4) CBX

Straight 6!

Kinja'd!!!

3) Valkyrie

Flat-6 cruiser so smooth, you could balance a coin on the head while running

Kinja'd!!!

2) Honda Ruckus

Scooters need love, too

Kinja'd!!!

1) Honda Super Cub

The bike that put them on the map

Kinja'd!!!

DailyTurismo > Tekamul
09/24/2014 at 15:15

I almost put a bike into the list, but I'm just not knowledgeable enough on the two wheeled things to make a coherent list.

Tekamul > DailyTurismo
09/24/2014 at 15:19

My list is very much personal opinion-based, and surely not a comprehensive review of their many 2-wheeled achievements. I'm sure I've left off some design with far more impact, I left out racing-specific and homologation masterpieces like the RC30. But I thought any topic about Honda's history needed a bike element.

ZuliMuli > DailyTurismo
09/24/2014 at 16:53

lol #2 says 4th gen but they show the 5th gen and even mention the SH modle

DailyTurismo > ZuliMuli
09/24/2014 at 17:26

LOL — that was my mistake. I first had a 4th gen model picked out but changed my mind and didn't change the header. FIXED IT!

PG; the scalpel wielder > DailyTurismo
09/25/2014 at 01:40

I've often though about all the talent going un-noticed and what the world is missing out on due to a select few angry individuals. Similar to my theory of Stalin's Gulags killing off all the doctors/proffessors/basically anyone that could stand up to his shit resulting in decades of Russian mediocrity in terms of universal development.

also NSX is always No.1

anothermiatafanboy > DailyTurismo
09/25/2014 at 10:59

I think it is a little much to say nothing has really been exciting to drive since the 5th gen Prelude went away. Sariously doe?

pj > DailyTurismo
09/26/2014 at 22:09

You nailed it! I've owned a CRX, 4 Legends, and an S2000, and have driven a very nice NSX a few times. Can't really argue with any of these. Whenever I've looked into getting a CRX again or a Prelude, it's the same story. Over-riced and overpriced, or half-assed and riced. Never stock and affordable. It's fun to reminisce about Honda's glory days. Happy Birthday Anniversary Honda.

pj > DailyTurismo
09/26/2014 at 22:09

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Tekamul
09/29/2014 at 13:28

The importance of the Super Cub cannot be understated.

MGme > DailyTurismo
10/04/2014 at 11:16

1989 Civic 4-door. Avg. 42mpg. in 1999 I averaged .. averaged .. 89 mph from Vegas to Denver. Ran like a top.

Conrad > Tekamul
10/13/2014 at 12:37

I like the part where the CB750 isn't on this list.

Rikstah > Tekamul
01/11/2015 at 21:01

Glad someone mentioned the Honda super cub, this is the work horse getting things done in Asia, tens of millions of them.

So popular that the word for motorbike in Vietnam is "Honda".