The Prelude will also return to production and be available to buy in the UK sometime next year.

Honda has confirmed the debut of the Prelude Concept model at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed ahead of the model’s return to production sometime next year.

The original Prelude came to the European market in 1978 as a two-door coupe loosely based on the Honda Accord, and was last seen in UK showrooms in 2001. It returned as a concept model at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo last year wowing punters with its swooping design. Now due to return to the UK, and despite the endless wave of electric cars coming our way, the production model is set to have a hybrid powertrain. It coincides with Honda’s 25 years of hybrid performance, having launched the Insight coupe (Europe’s first mass-produced hybrid model) in 1999.

That’s not to say that Honda isn’t already pretty stacked on the EV front, with the Jazz, Civic, HR-V, ZR-V and CR-V making up its electrified line up in Europe.

Tomoyuki Yamagami, Chief Engineer and Large Project Leader, Honda Motor, said: “The new Prelude not only marks the latest chapter in our ever evolving hybrid story, it is also the product of 25 years of pioneering hybrid research and development. Ensuring this model maintains its ‘sporty’ DNA by perfectly blending the efficiency and environmental advantages of electrified driving with an exhilarating experience behind the wheel – liberating users from their daily lives with increased driving pleasure.”

“In addition, the Prelude demonstrates the continued importance of hybrid powertrains as part of Honda’s automobile electrification strategy – a key step towards our commitment for 100% of new vehicle sales to be battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell by 2040.”

The Prelude Concept will be located in the First Glance paddock at Goodwood and will be joined by some more significant cars and motorbikes from its history.

The Honda RA272 will be driven up the Goodwood Hill by Hikaru Miyagi on Saturday and Yuki Tsunoda on Sunday as Honda celebrates 60 years since it first took part in F1. Powered by a 1.5-litre engine capable of 13,000 rpm, the RA272 is known for being the first Japanese car to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Further motorsport prowess will be present in the form of the Honda RC142 motorcycle, part of the brand’s lineup in the 1950s and a key part of establishing Honda as a force in motorcycle racing.

Thursday at the festival will also see Honda showcasing all UK generations of its Civic Type R, from the EP3 to the latest FL5 model and a limited number (118) of the model have been released to mark the occasion on a first come, first serve basis.

words: Mike Booth
pictures: Honda