The return of the Honda Prelude has sparked debate among sports car enthusiasts. A year after the hybrid coupe's debut, an unofficial detour has emerged.
Independent digital artist Theophilus Chin has reimagined the car.
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The result answers a question Honda never asked: what would a modern Prelude look like as a two-seat convertible?
Design and Mechanical Details
The digital concept keeps the Prelude's basic silhouette. Chin chopped off the fixed roof and swapped in a retractable fabric top.
To make room for the folding mechanism, the cramped rear seats had to go. This turns it into a dedicated two-seater.
The fictional model features a redesigned rear deck with a clean tonneau cover behind the headrests. The rest of the design carries over, including the glider-inspired lines.
The end result looks factory-made, though the FWD proportions with the short hood are exaggerated by the new bodystyle.
Beneath the visual makeover, the mechanical package stays the same.
It pairs a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with two electric motors for a combined 200 hp (149 kW / 203 PS).
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The Prelude is based on the Civic platform with Type R suspension components. Power routes exclusively to the front axle via an eCVT with Honda's S+ Shift technology.
Would It Make Sense?
Honda never built a factory convertible Prelude, but some exist.
The best-known example is the Prelude Solaire from the '80s, built by a California company on the first-generation model.
Drop-top Preludes are rare, and there's a good reason for that.
Coachbuilders could pull off a similar conversion of the modern Prelude, but it would demand a lot of custom work.
Rather than a folding fabric roof, such a project would probably work best with a removable hard top.
This sidesteps the costly redesign needed for a retractable mechanism.
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The real question is who would buy a pricey limited-production FWD hybrid convertible in a segment that doesn't exist, instead of a more exotic sports car.
