This fifth-generation Honda Prelude has been around the block, racking up over 287,000 kilometers (almost 180,000 miles). Despite being a high-mileage example of a venerable age, the front-wheel-drive coupe is still going strong, as evidenced in a new video shot on an unrestricted section of the Autobahn. Fitted with an aftermarket exhaust, the final-gen Prelude doesn’t sound half bad for a four-banger, especially as it approaches 7,000 rpm.
By modern standards, this 1997 Honda Prelude is not fast by any stretch of the imagination. It takes a little over nine seconds to reach 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill, which even a three-cylinder subcompact turbocharged hatchback can do these days. That said, one would argue it’s more fun to go flat out in a high-revving naturally aspirated engine even though a turbocharged mill with a similar displacement always makes the car quicker. It’s especially true if the car has a manual gearbox as it’s the case here.
Flat out, it managed to hit a GPS-verified top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h). Bear in mind this is one of the lesser Prelude versions with only 133 horsepower and 132 pound-feet (179 Newton-meters) of torque. The most potent fifth-gen models offered a smidge over 200 hp and some variants also had rear-wheel steering.
Honda abandoned the Prelude in late 2001 after five generations spanning almost a quarter of a century. A rumor from Japan’s Best Car magazine claims an all-new model is in the pipeline for a 2028 release as an EV. It’s not just pure speculation since a product roadmap for electric vehicles released in April 2022 showed a pair of two-door coupes coming by 2030. Perhaps successors to the NSX and Prelude?
