Japanese domestic market or JDM as it is usually referred to are cars exclusively build for the home markets which are extremely tuneable and customisable. Honda being a major player in Japan has contributed some of the most fantastic, unique and iconic cars. Let’s have a look at the top 10 Honda project car offerings (according to HOTCARS) in the domestic and international markets.
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10. Honda N600
The N600 is a historically significant car for Honda as it marks the first car the company exported to the US soil, a direct competitor to the British made minis and in a way paving the way for the modern civic. In the domestic market the car started its journey as a N360 with a 354cc 2 cylinder engine making 31hp while the export model got a larger 598 cc engine producing 45bhp. Fair to say the N600 is the car that Honda made to announce to the world that it is here to adapt and stay in the market.
9. Honda Legend
The Honda Legend came as a executive 4 door saloon or 2 door coupe in the 80’s. This was a series of V6 engine cars which eventually paved the way for the luxury Acura division in North America. Cars like the Acura Legend, RL and RLX is inspired from the Legend. The first generation has 2.0L V6 transverse front engine front wheel drive which is mated to either 4 speed auto or 5 speed manual transmission.
8. Honda Accord
A household name which is available as a sedan, coupe, wagon, hatchback and cross tour crossover. This is one of the best selling cars Honda has ever produced. The 4th generation model is a proper project car with a Inline 4 engine coming in 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 litres. This explains the victories the Accord bagged in the British, Japanese and European Touring championship. It also won the European Touring car cup 3 times.
7. Honda Del Sol
A Targa top car based on the front engine civic platform manufactured by Honda between 1992 and 1998. It had the highly tuneable 1.6 litre Inline 4 engine mated to the usual 4 speed auto or 5 speed manual. It also has a power output of 160hp. The roof was the highlighting feature of the del sol as the name refers to the sun and opening roof. A model with a trans top is said to be the 1st electric roof in the segment.
6. Honda Prelude
The Prelude has a rich history of 5 generations from 1978 to 2001. This one had caused quite the stir upon its arrival as it was based on the insanely famous Accord. The car came with 2 different engine options 1.6 litre 8 valve Inline 4 and 1.7 litre 12 valve Inline 4. The 4th generation was a sight for sore eyes with its design language and performance figures.
Some of the features were a 58% front and 42% rear weight distribution, electronic 4 wheel steering and a VTEC model which had 190ps power at 6800 rpm and 207 Nm torque. 11.1 inch front rotor and larger brake callipers and pads gave the driver the confidence to unleash the power provided.
5. Honda CRX
Civic Renaissance Experimental or simply called the CRX is a sports compact 3 door coupe which was in production from 1983 to 1991. A proven engine in the 1.6 litre Inline 4 is fitted in the CRX which had a max power output of 135bhp. The front engine front wheel drive car was famous for its performance, nimble handling and fuel economy.
4. Honda Integra/Acura Integra
Seen as a luxurious and performance based model of the Civic the Integra started production in 1985 and lasted till 2021. The Integra started of as a compact car but also has been released coupe, sedan and lift back models. It had a 1.8 litre VTEC engine which was making close to 195hp red lining at 8700 rpm. The Integra Type R was successful in the world challenge touring, British touring car and the Asian touring car championships.
3. Honda Civic
One of the all time best selling automobiles in the world. Over a whopping 27 million sold between 1972 and 2021 11 generations of Civic has come out so far. The Civic is know for being fuel efficient, reliable and environmental friendly while the Type R adds performance and sportiness to the above mentioned qualities. Among the tuner culture civics are welcomed as they are simple, cheap and easy to tweak.
2. Honda S2000
The S2000 is a open top sports car in production between 1999 to 2009. With the release of this car Honda celebrated its golden jubilee in the industry. As it can be guessed from the name the S2000 has a 2.0 litre engine an Inline 4. It was a special car as it was making a power output of 124bhp/litre. the special editions of the S2000 called ‘clubrace’ has a special place in the JDM community and are a collectors piece these days.
1. Honda NSX /Acura NSX
The NSX is a 2 seater mid engine rear wheel drive coupe sports car. A 3.0 litre V6 engine with 274hp at the time of its release 1990 made this the most powerful Honda car to date. It took the 0-100 km/h mark in 5.9 seconds and had a top speed of 270 km/h. Honda went all in with this car as the name suggests ‘new sportscar experimental’ with the 1st generation having an all aluminium body. The current or the 2nd generation is a beast of a car consisting of a 3.5 litre twin-turbo V6 and 3 electric motors completing the hybrid powertrain.