American Honda has opened a museum of sorts at its headquarters in Torrance, California, showcasing numerous key products dating back to the company’s founding in 1959 as the first Honda division outside of Japan.
Called the American Honda Collection Hall, the showcase covers not only cars but also motorcycles, power products, and various other products offered by Honda in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Highlights include a 1970 N600 Coupe which was the first car Honda sold in the U.S. There’s also the 1986 Acura Legend which helped launch the Acura brand alongside the Integra, and a 1991 NSX, the supercar that helped put Acura on the map.
Before it started selling cars in the U.S., Honda was already marketing motorcycles, and there are plenty of the two-wheelers present. Included in the showcase is a 1962 50/Super Cub which is one of the first three models Honda sold in the U.S.
American Honda Collection Hall in Torrance, California
A number of racing cars are also present, including the 1996 Reynard 961-031 IndyCar driven by Jimmy Vasser and Alex Zanardi.
An opening ceremony took place on Tuesday, and regular events open to the public including Cars and Coffee-style meets are scheduled to take place at the site which forms part of the main lobby of American Honda’s headquarters. The Cars and Coffee meets will take place on the third Saturday of every other month, with the first scheduled for Oct. 21.
Several automakers have museums located at the their headquarters or close by. Some of the more famous sites are the Ferrari museum next to Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello, Italy, the Lamborghini museum at Lamborghini’s headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, the Porsche and Mercedes museums in Stuttgart, Germany, and the Corvette museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
