Last week, I wrote a blog post on why the 2026 Honda Prelude and Honda Civic Type R have gas caps. Today, I have another little anecdote from my recent extended time in the sleek and somewhat controversial coupe to tell you, involving a clash of opinions between The Car Enthusiast and The Real World.
noise The attention on the Prelude’s performance – especially its horsepower figure, its price, and even its place in Honda’s lineup has been, uh, big. Furthermore, there are frequent comparisons to the previous generation Prelude, with some arguing that it is not a natural evolution of the iconic sporty coupe.
Well, I’m here to tell you that after spending a few weeks with Prelude, I’ve learned that most normal people don’t care at all about any of the above. I mean, sure, pricing will always be a concern for people who aren’t billionaires, but everyone who approaches me in the parking lot when I’m trying to get in or out of the Prelude understands that.
Over the course of about three weeks, not a day went by when someone didn’t take a photo of the car, whether it was passing from one car to another while driving on the highway, when it was parked, or simply a passerby honking and giving a thumbs-up. When I was in Montreal for the Grand Prix over Memorial Day weekend, driving through the city of Prelude it was literally a riot, with pedestrians stopping wherever they could to take photos. I even had a guy crossing the road take his sweet time photographing the Prelude and its surroundings, and took the photo with a real camera, not even a smartphone. Now that is dedication brother.
Another time, a guy driving an orange McLaren 720S looked at me and gave me a thumbs-up at a stoplight, only to realize seconds later that someone was taking my picture, not his. He just laughed.
The conversations I had with people were also fun. I’ve talked to young people, old people, women, and everyone in between. However, I will say that most of the people who have approached me to compliment me or ask me questions are not hardcore car enthusiasts. How will I know? Because when I make some point about a car, some popular argument, or use gearhead jargon in general, I see a puzzled look on their faces, right?
And listen, this doesn’t mean that one group is more important than the other, or that there aren’t valid arguments on the value proposition of the proposal. As much as I like it and, in many ways, it is the ideal car for someone in my current stage of life, I do agree that there are some question marks over some aspects of the car.
What I’m trying to say here is that sometimes car enthusiasts get too carried away in their minds and focus on something that isn’t worth it. Sure, maybe this isn’t the car for you, and maybe you’ll never consider buying it because it “only has 200 hp” or because it’s more money than you want to spend on something with limited practicality, and that’s it. Absolutely right! From where I see it, Honda has given us a gorgeous sporty coupe at a time when every returning nameplate (and even new ones) comes in the shape of a coupe-fied crossover. So, maybe we should be happy we didn’t get another one of those and we’ll enjoy it no matter how many years it’s in production.
Car Enthusiasts 0 – Ordinary People 1
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