There will be no Honda Prelude Type R: ‘No plans at the moment’

Despite rumors to the contrary, Honda currently has no plans to supply a Type S or Type R variant of the new Prelude. I wouldn’t necessarily call this shocking news, but I don’t think it’s reason to believe that there won’t be more sporty versions of the Prelude yet.

According to a report from Car shovelingthere was initially some talk about a powerful Prelude. The timing certainly makes sense, as the Tokyo Auto Salon is just around the corner. But did you really expect a Prelude Type R with 325 hp to appear so soon? Unlikely.

The other model described is a Prelude Type S with a turbocharged 1.5 liter power and an output of 179 hp. That would be a step in the right direction wrong direction, and not a model worthy of a Type S badge – at least here in the United States.

Anyway, these model rumors were put to rest thanks to a reporter from Creative311. The journalist attended a program where they could directly ask questions about both a Type S and a Type R Prelude variant. The response? Honda has “no plans at this time.”

This news, or lack thereof, may make some Honda enthusiasts sad. But I don’t think the door is completely closed for a more peppery Prelude. I think people are just asking about the wrong possible model names. In fact, I’d bet money that we’ll see a certain badge appear on the back of a Prelude soon: Si.

This one is too easy for Honda not to do. The Honda Civic Si already exists, so the chassis could easily be swapped. You already have the badges ready to stick on the Prelude. Honda should just emboss the headrests, add the tailgate and chin spoilers as standard items, and keep the price well under $50,000.

Now we would have a Honda Prelude with exactly the same horsepower as the hybrid version, but with slightly less curb weight and a lot more fun. In fact, it would probably be a lot nicer compared to the Civic Si, since the Prelude already features parts borrowed from the Civic Type R.

Honda supplies an excellent manual transmission. The Prelude is a sharp looking machine. Let’s combine the two and give people the Prelude they really want. Yes, a Prelude Type R would be a lot of fun, but a Prelude Si could actually move a few more units, especially if the price isn’t too far out of the reach of the people who actually want to buy one.