New Honda Prelude, The Right CAR and Wrong DRIVERS

 

I'll start by thanking Mike Pelletier of Tampa Honda for putting together a great deal for me so I could drive home in a new Honda Prelude. It is nice when you can do business with folks that you are comfortable with. Tampa Honda rocks! I also want to shout out to Pablo Cruz, Finance Manager at Tampa Honda for his work in putting together a financing package I can live with. Great job guys.

The title of my post today explains much of what all the fuss is about with the new Honda Prelude. I've never seen such mixed emotions about a new car introduction. For many drivers the car is a disappointment with not enough power and no stick shift. For a smaller group of drivers, the car is exactly what they want.   This post will attempt to explain why Honda got it right and the typical car enthusiast has it wrong. Those 'old school' Honda fans have not caught up with the times and it will take time for their thinking to change, if ever.  We all wish we could go  back to the past but the past is not coming back; we must look forward for our 'sport' to survive.  Honda Prelude is the future of sporty cars for the everyday driver in the mid price space. A small but growing group of drivers are coming to know this car as THE future of fun cars. Yes, this is a new kind of sports car but it also has buckets of practicality. With the Prelude you get more than a sports car, you get a daily driver that's got room to haul luggage, golf clubs, your garage sale purchases, etc.  The car is economical to drive at a combined 44 MPG, range of over 500 miles and no need to look for a charging station. Top it off with great looks and this car is the future we never dreamed possible. Honda also spiced things up with mutiple drive modes, adaptive dampers, the Type R's suspension and brakes and the all new S+ shift that simulates gear changes.  I believe this car is as revolutionary as the Porsche Boxster that debuted in the late '90's.

For the past couple of years Honda fans have been waiting with much anticipation about what the final production version would be after it's prototype made the rounds at all the major car shows.  Most thought it would be like the original five generations of Preludes; a light, peppy, high reving sports coupe with a stick shift. What Honda brought us was a modestly powered Hybrid with no transmission, a tame four cylinder motor and dual electric motors that combined is rated at 200 HP and 232 Ft-Lbs of torque. Many call this a big fail on Honda's part but those people are missing the point. Measuring this car with standards used for 75 years like 0- 60 times and brute power is just wrong.  We live in a different world where the old norms are fading and new technology is taking over and all the measures we used to use need to be replaced with things much more relevant. Now it is electrification, fuel economy, technology, handling and fun driving experience taking over for horsepower. 

One thing that will not change is the driving experience. How the car makes you feel, how it looks and drives are relevant today. How fast it is 0-60 is only a small measure of the car and the lack of a stick shift is not a total loss. 

The remainder of this post is my seat of the pants review having driven the Prelude in comparison with many Hondas and other cars in my recent past.  My review is based on driving experience of the following cars:

Porsche Boxster S from 2001, Alfa Romeo GTV from 1972, The present generation of the Honda Civic Si, and the latest Civic Hybrid Hatchback Sport and the Civic Hybrid Hatchback, Touring.

DESIGN AND LOOKS

How does the car look?  On this count the Prelude scores a 9 out of 10. It has to look good; love at first sight must be there. This category is subjective but most agree it is a 'looker'. Here's some Porsche's where you can see the styling cues that were applied to the Prelude.  This includes the Taycan where lots of similarities are seen.   Included are front, roofline and rear tail lights.

                                           Porsche Taycan-  Looks like the Honda Prelude

Then there's the Porsche 2014 Cayman seen below:

                                         2014 Porsche Cayman - a similar profile

     See the Cayman's swooping roofline and back window.  When sitting in the Prelude looking in the rearview mirror, I swear I was in my Cayman looking at that long descending rear window in the rearview mirror. It is identical to the view in the Prelude.   And yes, that's Hurley Haywood's autograph I obtained on the picture when I saw him in the Porsche Coral at the Sebring 12 Hour race many years ago.

                                                       My 2001 Porsche Boxster S

And then there's the 2001 Porsche Boxster S. When sitting in the Prelude looking forward you see the crest of the two front fenders, just like you would see sitting in the Boxster. The car has so many Porsche cues you could think, hey this is the new Porsche ________   fill in the blank!

Finally the king of the hill comparison- the familiar design of the 911:

                                                         My friend, Denny Brown's 911

And here again is that swooping roofline and large back window- like a glider/ like the Prelude. Was all this intentional?  I think so.  Honda took great design and made it their own with Japanese flair.

A couple of my previous Civics below:

My 2022 Honda Civic Si                         

HOW DOES THE PRELUDE DRIVE?

Now that I covered the design and looks, how does the Prelude drive compared to some of these cars. I can speak from experience with the cars I have owned including the current generation Civic Si, the 2001 Porsche Boxster S, the 1972 Alfa Romeo GTV and the Civic Hybrid Hatch Sport and Touring models.

This is a very quick summary of my first impression when compared to the  other cars above. First let's look at the two cars most similar to the Prelude, the Civic Hatchback Hybrid Sport and the Civic Hatch Hybrid Touring. Similar in that they share the same 200HP Hybrid poweretrain.  That's where the similarity ends. The Civic Hybrids have a softer suspension in all modes and there is slighly more body roll with the Hybrid Hatch models. With the Prelude in comfort it closely resembles the Hatch models but there's a distinct improvement in cornering with the Prelude, even in the Comfort mode. It corners much flatter and the Prelude seems more stable.  That's the advantage of having adaptive dampers and the Type R suspension.  The brakes on the Prelude are also more robust because they are Brembo brakes lifted from the Type R. 

The most interesting thing I have found is how similar the Prelude driving dynamics are to the Porsche Boxster S and the Porsche Cayman. Both Porsches have more power and are lighter but the Prelude does not seem that underpowered under 50 mph and it hides its 350 pound weight disadvantage because of its 232 Ft- Lbs of instant torque from the twin electric motors. Also the turning radius on all seem fairly close which was a pleasant surprise. I mention this because it is so dramatically better than the two Civic Hybrids. Doing a U turn with the Civic takes much more room and when you consider the Prelude has 19" wheels vs the Civic's 18 inch wheels it shows the Type R suspension is genius!  You would not know this is a front wheel drive car. Another factor is the Prelude's wheelbase is 102.4 inches while the Civic Hybrid Hatchback has a wheelbase of 107.7 inches. And the 2001 Porsche Boxster has a wheelbase of 95.2 inches.  The way the Prelude turns when comparing to the Boxster, it doesn't feel that much different for the difference in the wheelbase of the two. Lastly, the Civic Si has a stiffer suspension than any of the cars mentioned and it does handle very well, but is not as capable as the Prelude, nor is it as fun to drive.

That's my point of this whole agrument about the Prelude being a flop on paper shows the reporters writing the reviews have not spent time driving the Prelude to see how good it is!  They are making assumptions based on old stanndards for sports cars that look at 0-60 times and horsepower figures. They don't take into account the superior and instant torque of the Prelude. 

And just for fun I threw in my 1972 Alfa Romeo GTV to demonstrate it's not about horsepower. It's about the whole package, including torque, overall weight, suspension tuning and wheelbase. The Alfa has 130 HP, and 134 Ft-Lbs of torque but weighs only 2150 pounds and has the shortest wheelbase of the bunch at 92.5 inches.  At the time, the Alfa was THE sports car to own.  All the car reviewers raved about it, yet it was slow with 0-60 timesof 8.9 seconds.  So why all the haters talking about the new Prelude?  I believe they are the wrong drivers for this car that is so right!

                                                    My 1972 Alfa Romeo GTV 

I will be writing a second, longer term test drive where I sample the S+ mode and my impression of that new technology.  So far I am completely happy with my Honda Prelude; try it, you will come to like it.

Merry Christmas to all my readers and I look forward to continuing this conversation soon. Tomorrow  I leave to visit family in Rochester, NY but will be back to this desk to bring you some more of my thoughts.   Cheers,   Paul Ziegler, Publisher Carcamerastory.com. Follow on Instagram @wownowpics.

Sunshine Baby Motor Rebuild Done By Don Garlits

First, a little history to put this into perspective. It was a sunny day on October 2, 2023 when Jim Aid and your blog author stopped in at the Don Garlits drag racing museum on our way back from Detroit towing a special surprise to show Don. It was a racing hydroplane from 1959 he worked on for original owner Ray Gassner. The story of how Jim Aid working with Tom D'Eath who connected Jim to current owner, Hayden Harris deserves a blog post of it's own. Look for that incredible story soon.

We stopped by unannounced; would Don be there?  Would have time to see us?  Would he remember  building an engine over 65 years ago for a hydroplane?  He sure did!  Don built the original Chrysler Hemi for owner Ray Gassner from St. Petersburg who would campaign Sunshine Baby in major races all over the country. I should also mention Tom D'Eath would be the racer/ driver responsible for winning many races with SB IV, creating a winning record for Sunshine Baby IV. It become a national champion and set a world record speed of 173 MPH! Here's some pictures from that day in October. 

Jim Aid in 2023 with Don who is all smiles as the sight of the boat brings back memories.

So that's the backstory- Now here we are September 12, 2025 picking up the motor Don rebuilt!

                                                  Wally and Jim checking the straps.

Well folks, it's finally done, the Baby's Hemi has been rebuilt by Don Garlits who built the original motor 65 years ago! Here's some amazing pictures I took on September 12th when we picked up the motor from Don.  In this post you will see Don explaining some of the technical aspects of the rebuild.

The Sunshine Baby team members including Captain Jim Aid, Technical advisors Wally Osinga and Norm Cameron and myself as camera man. We headed out on the two hour drive from St. Pete to the Don Garlits Museum in Ocala to meet with Don and pick up the motor. We arrived a little after noon and Don was there to greet us still dressed in his work jeans and tee shirt.We were overeflowing with excitment like kids on Christmas morning waiting to see what Don had in store for us.   

Don spent a good hour with us going over the technical aspects of the work he did to rebuild our motor and some of the challenges he encountered. It was an awe inspiring master class in the art of engine building. Don's knowledge of Chrysler's legendary Hemi engines was impresive. We were in the company of one of the best and it gave us chills to see him explain with ease what and how he did this job.

Here are some pictures that show some of the details that went into the rebuild. Go to the Paul Ziegler 8505 YouTube channel to see video that is as cool as it gets when you consider Don is still here today doing the work he did 65 years ago!  Below you will see some of the still shots taken when we picked up the motor.

Click here to see YouTube Videos

                                                   Chrysler spaceship power!

                       Don explaining the details of rebuilding the Sunshine Baby motor.

Don's notebook

Loading up for the trip home.

Fully Loaded

Motor and Blower

Don teaching the 'young' guys!

Brought to you by Paul Ziegler, Publisher Carcamerastory.com and author of Echoes From The Glen.

Follow on Instagram @wownowpics and on YouTube Paul Ziegler 8505 channel

Let There Be Light- For The Sunshine Baby IV

 Our project captain, Jim Aid decided it was time for new lighting in the skunk werks shop, better known as Jim's garage. The team has been working under old, outdated fluorescent lights since the beginning of the project and Jim decided to spring for all new lighting in the shop. Thank you Jim!

Here's are some pictures to see how the operation went.  Starting with the contractor, Maury Creech Electric.  Their crew arrived at noon on Wednesday and within about two hours, they transformed the workshop from something old to something new.

                             First step- move the Sunshine Baby IV out into the driveway

                                            
                                                   Team member Wally looks on:

Jim inspecting the work:

                                      You can see the old, yellow fluorescent bulb in foreground

                                    with new, LED bulbs in the rear.  It made a huge difference.

                                                    Here's the job, nearly completed:

        

The work continues with another new set of steering cables that will be fabricated and the return of 

the rebuilt motor in the next few weeks from Don Garlit's shop in Ocala, Florida. Stay tuned!

Brought to you by Paul Ziegler, Publisher,  carcamerastory.com.  

Engine Update For Sunshine Baby IV

 The last big piece of the puzzle for refurbishing the Sunshine Baby IV is the motor. Here's pictures of one of the most famous engine builders of all time, Don Garlits working on our motor! This is historic considering he built the original motor for Ray Gassner in 1959 and he's still at it.

To get a real appreciation for who Don Garlits is take a look at this short video of Don's life and accomplishments.  Click on the link below -it will make his involvement with our Sunshine Baby IV project come alive.

Who Is Don Garlits?

Take a look:                   

                                    Don Garlits with our 392 Chrysler Hemi block.

And here he is hard at work rebuilding the motor for the Sunshine Baby IV rebirth.

                                                                The master at work.

I thought this post would add meaning to the rebuilding/ refurbishing of the Sunshine Baby IV. Here's 

what the motor looks like all assembled and in the boat. This is what it looked like before the rebuild:

Hope you liked this update; stay tuned for more to come as we pick up the finished motor and get

it back in the boat.

Brought to you by Paul Ziegler, Publisher of carcamerastory.com and author of Echoes From The Glen.

Sunshine Baby IV Gets New Steering Cables

 The next step in the restoration is the installation of new steering cables for Sunshine Baby IV. Wait 'til you you hear where our Captain, Jim Aid sourced the cables.

Here's the 'Baby' on the shore of Lake Maggiore  back in February. Little did we know THE place to go for the new steering cables was only about a mile away. A place called The Yacht Rigger, at 200 14th Ave. Southeast, St Petersburg, FL.  They have everything and anything you need for sailboats, and all watercraft. They have the ability to custom make to your specs and they were just what we needed for replacing our steering cables. The shop is way cool and in working with JC there, it was a pleasurable experience and very educational. The Sunshine Baby restoration team is glad Jim found this place.

Here's a sample of what they had for our application:

                                                                   They have Cables!

                                                  And all the hardware to go with it.

                                                         And JC knows how to fabricate it.

                                                  With Jim assisting- a custom cable is made.

                                                               Jim checking the work.

                                                And soon the new cables with be installed.

                        If you want to know more about The Yacht Rigger check out this link 

                        to their website:   Click to see the website for The Yacht Rigger

                           Hope you liked this update on the Sunshine Baby IV restoration.

                Brought to you by Paul Ziegler, Publisher of Carcamerastory.com Follow on

                Instagram @Wownowpics.

             

Honda Civic Hybrid Hatch vs Honda Civic Si vs Alfa Romeo GTV

 What am I talking about? Yes there's a distinct connection between these first two Civics and the Alfa Romeo GTV!  You might want to call me nuts, or biased or way off but I will argue with anyone who thinks I'm wrong that there's an unmistakeable link tying these cars together. I have owned all three and can say, wow, they all feel similar when driving at a brisk pace.  How has Honda matched the legenday driving feel of the Alfa GTV, or one coud say how was Alfa Romeo able to be 50 years ahead of its time.

So what do these look like?   Here are four  cars I have owned- two Civic Si's, one Civic Hybrid Hatch and one 1972 Alfa Romeo GTV.  From my photo gallery:

                                   The beautiful Boost Blue Pearl Civic Hybrid Hatchback

 And The three other contenders in this comparison are the Civic Si's with 200 HP and weighing in at 2952 pounds.  The Civic Hybrid Hatchback weighs in at 3252 pounds or 300 pounds more and is rated at the same 200 HP.

 The lightweight in the group is the Alfa Romeo GTV coming in at 2400 pounds and produces 130 HP.

I'll be referring to these numbers in a moment.

         My 2022 orange Civic Si

          and my other dark blue 2022 Civic Si.

Let's look at the numbers: The numbers are the key to why these cars are so similar in their 'feel'. And the feel is what counts when driving a quick car vs a fast high powered car.

In a word all of them are sneaky quick! With relative light weight (even the hybrid), a perfectly tuned suspension, and precise steering the equalizer is the torque and gearing.

So read down for my summary analysis.

                                                   My car on the cover of Alfa Owner

Every one of these cars is a pleasure to drive because they all have precise steering feel and realtively compliant suspensions that don't beat you up on rough pavement. Each car does everything well from the ability to see out without major blind spots, to the way they shift (in the case of the Hybrid automatic a word is smoothness).  Another word- simplicity. Honda and Alfa use the KISS principle- keep it simple stupid. All the switchgear is right where your hand naturally falls and the gages are nice and round and easy to read.  You feel like you like the car and the car likes you. No funny business and no surprises.

A word about the Hybrid. It is a different driving technique/ experience. I was driving in traffic to Harbor Freight today with Google Maps and it said 15 minutes to my destination. Using the regen paddles and timing my approach to traffic lights, I carved through the traffic and came off stops or near stops like an invisible hand was taking me on a magic carpet ride. The gobs of torque propelled me effortlessly to whatever opening in the traffic I was aiming for. No fuss no turbo lag, just poof and you were there!  Oh, and that 15 minute trip turned out to be 12 minutes

.

But, there's alway the Civic Si. Rowing the gears is so engaging and the steering and suspension are a notch above the Hybrid, definately fun! And as the revs climb, the aural experience and the feel of the turbo pushing you forward are unmistakeable.

Finally there's the Alfa.   Alfa had the secret sauce figured out way back then. They were way ahead of their time and I would say the GTV could keep up with either of the Civics under 70 MPH. The main advantage- weight, hundreds of pounds less to carry around.

I did some quick math and rather than bore you with a lot of numbers, the power to weight ratio is best with the Civic Si, then comes the Hybrid Civic and in last the Alfa. But the torque numbers are fairly close when doing weight to torque ratios. The Hybrid is in first, the Civic Si second and the GTV is third.  How that torque is delivered, as in instantaneous in the Hybrid, second in the GTV and third in the Si (turbo lag), all goes into the mix  as to how the cars FEEL when driving them.

Each car creates its own feel and in every case that is a good feeling. If I were to pick one car I'd pick the Hybrid because for me it's hitting all the buttons I'm looking for. For someone else it could be the Si, or even the GTV.  One thing I can say for sure is that they are all in a class of their own- that dying breed of sporty sedans we grew up on.  Honda, you have done a great job with these sporty Civics, so good you can be compared to the Alfa Romeo GTV!

Check out this video on Which Civic Would You Choose?   It kind of falls in line with what I wrote.

Which Civic Would You Buy

I'll soon be doing a complete long term road trip review of the Civic Hybrid Hatch when I drive from Florida to new York.  Look for that in the near future.

Brought to you by Paul Ziegler, Publisher, Carcamerastory    Follow on Instagram @wownowpics

 

Latest Update on the Sunshine Baby Restoration

 More progress is being made on the restoration of the Sunshine Baby IV.  The boat is now off the trailer and we have begun to sand and varnish the underside of the boat. Norm, one of the restoration team members is working on refurbishing the trailer including the storage boxes.

The varnishing process went well with the help of Wally, and Jim's expert rolling ability. The next step will be to put the boat back on the trailer.  It will be a little longer as we have an appointment to get the trailer dry ice blasted with a company called Precice Motorsports in Seminole, FL.  Here's a look at the work they do:  (Click on the link)

PrecICE Motorsports

For all you car fans, check out the nice work they do on cars.

And here's a few pictures of the varnish work:

So that's it for now. I'll be bringing you more updates as I have them. Thanks for following the progress onthe Sunshine Baby.

Brought to you by Paul Ziegler, Publisher Carcamerastory.com  Follow on Instagram @wownowpics