The Honda Revival

Of all the major Japanese manufacturers, it is safe to say that Honda has been most committed to creating a legacy for itself in the world of motorsport. This can be put down to the fact that Soichiro Honda, the founder and an automotive genius, consistently believed motorsport success to be the pinnacle of achievement for any auto manufacturer.

And this is showcased no better than by Honda’s journey in F1. The Honda RA271, a works effort, became the first Japanese car to race in F1 in 1964. This was followed by their first GP win in Mexico in ’65 with the RA272. A string of consistent performances followed up to 1969. After a 15-year hiatus, the team returned in 1983 as an engine supplier in what was its most successful stint. Honda supplied its engines to six consecutive constructor champions as well as five consecutive driver championships, of which three came from the iconic McLaren-Honda-Senna combination.

And all of this was not just a brand-building exercise, Soichiro Honda also envisioned putting the technology developed on the track to the most optimum use on the road. This has resulted in a hugely impressive back catalogue of performance cars, all of which redefined their respective segments in some way or another.

The most iconic of which was the original 1st-gen NSX. Produced between 1990 and 2005, with development and tuning inputs from Ayrton Senna himself, this car redefined the supercar as we know it. It was as quick as anything from Ferrari, Lamborghini or any of its established mid-engined rivals, while being far more reliable and easy to live with.  Another example is the S2000, a rival to the Porsche Boxster and Lotus Elise. Between, 1999-2009, this car was known for its 9000-rpm redline VTEC engine, pin-point accurate steering and one of the slickest manual gearboxes ever fitted to a car. Other notable cars include the CRX, Prelude, Integra R and the Civic Type R. All these cars were benchmarks for their pace and sublime driving experiences.   

The most crucial factor in motorsport success is innovation and Honda has been at the forefront of this throughout its history. It has also been successful in translating this innovation to the road better than most. This includes the CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion) tech from the early 70s, which helped Honda meet the stringent US emission norms of the era while its American counterparts struggled to cope with their power sapping catalytic convertors.

The most notable however is VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) and its various iterations over the years. This technology made its publicised debut on the NSX in 1990, incorporating a changing cam profile for the engine which resulted in low fuel consumption at low revs and higher performance at high revs. Consequently, these VTEC engines revved higher and delivered power smoother than forced induction and rotary engines, other prevalent engine innovations that were coming up at the time.

(L) 2017 Honda NSX, (R) 1997 Honda NSX
Credits: Top Gear

The 2008 financial crisis however, came as a death-knell for Honda’s performance products and motorsport progress. This crisis severely affected the car industry, with most car firms struggling to survive on government handouts and even filing for bankruptcy in certain cases. Honda, to protect its core businesses and appease shareholders decided to pull out of F1(an investment-heavy venture) and stalled development of most of its performance products. While this was not Honda’s first F1 pull-out, the circumstances were most dire in this case. The effects of these decisions could be seen in the products the company would churn out over the next few years. The entire line-up was now full of dull economy oriented cars with only minor glimpses of its past motorsport heritage.

Lately, things have turned for the better, the 2015 Civic Type R marked a return to form for Honda with the car holding its own in this golden era of hot hatchbacks. It follows in true Honda tradition and is as track-focused as a FWD hatch can get. What further illustrates Honda’s returned focus on performance is that a ground-up replacement is already on its way for 2017, which holds the record for the fastest FWD car around the Nürburgring. This car resolves the high-strung nature of the earlier car into a quicker, more usable package.

Despite the long gestation period and constant design changes, the new NSX is also a game-changer. This is mainly because it brings down the entry price of hybrid performance to about a tenth of what the Porsche 918 cost. Although it follows a completely different trajectory to the original, emphasising technological prowess over pure driving dynamics, it does disrupt the supercar scene just like the original did. It has its detractors, who criticize the weight and the slight aloofness that comes with having all those electrical components crammed in, but the pros generally outweigh the cons.

The return to F1 however has been less than satisfactory to say the least. Factors which should have worked in their favour: a return to turbocharged units, hybrid powertrains and the iconic McLaren-Honda combine, haven’t stopped them from consistently finishing last in constructor standings since 2015. The Honda engines have been consistently underpowered and unreliable with very little progress being made to fix the issues.

While the return to F1 can be deemed a failure, it is still fair to state that the Honda of old is on its way back. Apart from the cars mentioned, even their more everyday offerings like the new Accord and Civic are now dynamically superior to their past generations. This shows a change in thought process in all levels of the company. There seems to now be a desire to not just churn out me-too economy cars but build exciting machines which are fun to use and stay true to the ethos the company was built on.