Just a bit of a trip down memory lane:
Me in the car back when I had hair.
First Prelude was a Phantom Grey 2.0, the aftermarket wheels where not my choice, seemed like the previous owner prefered the car to look like it was on casters and not decent wheels. I never did change the wheels, but loved the car and still rate the 2.0 4G. Seats hugged you more than on the 5G and had a great driving position with that funky dash thing going on.
Kept it for a couple of years during which time my Dad decided he'd embrace some kind of mid life crisis and...
Dad's San Marino Red 4G 2.2
After driving it a few times I kinda realised I needed some Vtec in my life, (not to mention the fully lit dash, lovin that), the 2.0 engine was fantastic, but I must admit the howl of the Vtec was addictive, I'd never driven anything that quick.
Can't remember the name of the colour of this one?
Traded the 2.0 for a Vtec and kept this one for several years. Anyone know what the colour name is?
Time to change the Prelude again?
I'd test driven a 5G, but around Tooting in South London I wasn't really able to get a feel for it and I still wasn't sure of the looks of the car, preferring my 4G.
Also, what the hell had happened to the dash, all of a sudden it was kinda sombre and practical, the neon nonsense had been ditched by Honda, this was Honda being sensible and somehow like your parents, dictating your fashion style and dragging you down to Clarks for a sensible pair of school shoes, before deciding you needed an anorak with plenty of useful pockets.
Anyone who got in the 4G always marvelled at the neon skyline, why they ditched such an approach for the 5G, not sure? They went back to it for the S2000, and I kinda wonder what other designs where presented during the developement of the 5G.
By the time I decided to look again the 4G had 127k miles and compared to previous makes of car it was totally reliable. All of a sudden I had a garage ring me up and say:
"your car is ready"
as opposed to:
"errrr you see the thing is with Peugeots, is errr well they are jobby, so errr we need another £500 to figure out how to fix it".
(had a 205 Roland Garros, had the 1.4 engine from the 205 XS, not very civilised and rather rough at anything approaching the red line, also cost a lot in additional maintenance, always something going wrong, hence my dislike of Peugeot)
Instead of going for an MOT and wondering how much of a battering your credit card would get it was just predictable, everything just worked. That's pretty much been my experience of Honda. Just seemed better engineered.
I think I began to warm to the 5G and found this one:
2.2 Vti in Ruby Red with the A7, UKDM, (in fact all of the Preludes have been UKDM, I was very ignorant regarding importing cars, still am, hehe, also they've all been OEM, bar changing the stereo ofc)
A wee while later my Dad also decided to change out his 4G for a 5G:
Dad and I took the Prelude for a trip to the Millau bridge in the South of France, around 700 miles, (I think), in one day, and the Prelude never missed a beat.
Fantastic drive down through France, could have done with a car wash by the end!
My luck was in when Dad and I decided to swap Preludes. I can't remember why, but I wasn't going to argue. The Ficus Green was Motegi spec and Dad said it originally had the Motegi badge, but, I think it was a Vti with a dealer fit badge?? Not sure, either way Dad had it debadged for a sense of anonymity.
He kept the Ruby Red for a while, now with vanity plate and fog lamps:
Dad decided to change drving style, I don't mean that in a bad way, but, he was enjoying the ride height of the CRV and had toned down, defensive driving, and the CRV was rather comfortable, then you had the ferrying of grandkids etc, as such the Prelude became an extravagance. I really hope that Ruby Red one is still on the road, the Prelude can really carry off Red tones. For a while I struggled to appreciate the green, wishing I had the Red, but with the Motegi spec ofc.
I knew the A8 engine promised 15 more Bhp, but in the real world I wasn't sure how that would translate. I wasn't aware of the other modifications bar the lower ride height. Certainly when the Ruby Red was parked by the Ficus Green you could hear a deeper exhaust note on the A8.
I soon realised the gear ratios where somewhat shortened, the suspension stiffer and yeah I could feel that extra 15 Bhp, you did feel you where racing through gears that much quicker and the world outside did become blurrier quicker than the A7, just a touch, but noticeable over the Ruby Red.
As for the Ficus Green:
I don't envisage buying another car, simple as that really.
(apologies for the waffle, a spot of alcohol on an evening does bring out the bore in me).
