Honda Prelude HRC concept previews potential hot Prelude Type R variant
Type R models from Honda have earned themselves a loyal fanbase, so the discontinuation of the Civic Type R in the past year will have come as a major disappointment to many. However, the Type R badge might not be dead in the UK just yet, because the Japanese brand could be readying a new hot variant of its latest coupé – and the Honda Prelude HRC concept gives us a glimpse at what could come.
On show at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Prelude HRC concept is essentially a Prelude that has been beefed up with some components developed by the Japanese brand’s motorsport subsidiary, the Honda Racing Corporation. Indeed, Honda previously confirmed it was working on performance parts for the Prelude, and the HRC concept is equipped with those parts – so there’s a chance we could be looking at a future hot production variant of the Prelude that could continue the Type R legacy.
No technical details have been confirmed, but the changes seem mostly cosmetic. These include more aggressive front and rear bumpers with side air intakes, extended side skirts, a massive rear spoiler and large rear diffuser.
We don’t know yet whether the Prelude HRC concept will make it to production, but if it does, perhaps it would be a good opportunity to fit a manual gearbox inside, instead of the automatic gearbox that comes exclusively with the regular Prelude. That car borrows some components from the now-defunct Civic Type R, such as its adaptive suspension, but its performance is mostly underwhelming, falling short next to rivals like the BMW 2 Series.
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