Honda’s New Prelude Has More Civic Type R DNA Than Expected

Close Relations

One of the most talked-about cars of the year has to be the revived Honda Prelude. Having divided the automotive enthusiasts, it represents what some want from a Prelude, but also what others find lacking, since it technically replaced the Civic Type R (in other regions) as the "sporty" Honda model.

In any case, the Prelude's revival was made easier by Honda's decision to use the Civic as its base. While Honda was honest enough to admit the relationship between the two cars, details haven't been as widely available until now.

Keen Eye

The Drive published an article with new information about how closely related the Prelude and Civic Type R actually are. It started after the writer noticed that the Prelude has a gas cap, which is surprising, considering other Honda models no longer have one, except for the Civic Type R. Honda was able to shed some light on this after a request for more information was sent.

According to the automaker, some global markets require a fuel filler cap due to their fuel pump standards. Another reason is that both the Type R and Prelude are low-volume production models, making it more sensible for Honda to create a single product spec shared by both models. Not yet satisfied with just that, The Drive noticed something else, too.

Upon checking the spec sheets, he noticed that both models have the same front and rear track widths. What makes this significant is that we were only aware of the Prelude sharing the same front end as the Civic Type R, but the rear tells a whole new story. Once again, Honda responded to the query, stating that the Prelude leverages the core hardware and engineering of the Type R but has been specifically tuned to provide its own distinct handling character.

Furthermore, the Honda representative disclosed that “Sharing the chassis with the CTR does not mean the chassis is completely identical, but rather that it shares the underlying platform architecture, suspension design, and key hardware systems.”

More Than Meets The Eye

There's more beyond the new information disclosed by Honda: both the Type-R and Prelude share the same dual-pinion electric power steering, adaptive damper system, and brakes. However, Honda's claim that both feel different stands, given the different markets both cars are targeting, but it paints the Prelude in a different light now, with confirmation that, within its rather mundane lines, lie the ingredients of a truly sporty car.

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