MILESTONES: The Journey of Honda in America
STORY | Justin W. Roeser
PHOTOGRAPHY | Marc Shap
During the 1950s and 1960s, Los Angeles—the “City of Angels”—was the epicenter of the romantic and alluring picture of California known around the world. It was the home of Hollywood, The Beach Boys, Hot Rods, and bikini-clad girls. And it was there, in June of 1959, from a small mom-and-pop L.A. storefront at 4077 West Pico Boulevard, that Honda began selling their very first products in the United States, under the name of American Honda Motor Co. Inc. Honda started out seeking to alter the perception of the motorcycle industry in the U.S. and to introduce smaller, economic transportation means to the masses, and today they are the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. But they certainly didn’t stop at two wheels!
In the earliest days of American Honda, white-and-red Honda-branded Chevrolet Apache trucks could be seen delivering consignment bikes and frequenting parking lots of American hobby shops and sporting goods stores. The Super Cub, Dream, and Benly motorcycles filled the Apache truck beds and were on display for consumers coming and going from America’s largest retail chains. This grassroots campaign slowly and steadily developed brand recognition and, after a couple of years signing up U.S. dealers, the factory set up a “Holiday in Japan” to bring their American dealers to the motherland. This special journey helped build trust and commitment with their dealers, and it helped Honda learn the ever-changing needs of the U.S. market.
Many of these dealers also became the first to sell Honda Power equipment such as engines, generators, or farm equipment. Although the first years for American Honda proved to be challenging sales wise, they quickly outgrew their small storefront, and in 1963 moved to a 58,000 square-foot building and warehouse in Gardena, California. With bigger spaces came bigger ideas and this very year the slogan “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” was born. This campaign is largely considered the first example of “lifestyle marketing.”
While members of the 1960s counterculture embraced Harley Davidson, Hells Angels, denim, and leather, American Honda’s ads featured square riders sporting v-neck sweaters and pressed slacks. The Super Cub was unique to the U.S. market: American Honda’s competition had nothing to offer in this size. The 50cc engine, large 17” tires, and protective plastic fairing enticed a wide array of customers, speaking to a “motorcyclist,” not a “biker.” The Super Cub was more of an appliance for its owner and required very little mechanical aptitude to operate. With a steady cruising speed of 45 mph, 200 mpg fuel economy, and automatic clutch with three-speed shifter, the Super Cub was safe, economical, and fun to own. Today, the Super Cub is the most produced motor vehicle in history, with over 100,000,000 produced since its inception.
The S600, Honda’s first mass-produced car
By 1964, the tune started to change for American Honda, and the hit song “Little Honda”—written by Beach Boys front-man Brian Wilson and performed by the Hondells—reached #9 on the pop charts. That same year Honda spent two million dollars buying up 25% of the advertising space at the Academy Awards. What seemed like a major expense and gamble paid off when dealers were flooded with calls from future customers. While stateside business began to boom for Honda motorcycles, back in Japan, Honda expanded their transportation focus and built their very first mass-produced car, the S600. The S600 was available as a roadster and coupe and featured a 9,500-rpm redline and a 600cc inline-four, which propelled the rear wheels via a chain drive sealed in the rear suspension trailing arms.
Honda’s first car in the USA, the N600
It wasn’t until five years later that Honda brought its first car to the U.S., and they did so via Hawaii. In 1970 the N600 made its debut to the continental U.S., following in the path of the Super Cub by offering the opposite of what the U.S. consumer was used to. The Detroit muscle car market was at its peak when Honda introduced a small, compact econocar—and reshaped the way Americans viewed transportation, again. With its 600cc air-cooled two-cylinder motor, the sub 1,400 lb. car achieved 40 mpg and cost under $1,500—well under half of the average car price in 1970. For a two-year run the N600 sold just over 40,000 cars. Compared to the millions of cars sold annually by Ford and Chevrolet, it was a small start for a small car.
But the oil crisis of the early ‘70s brought gas lines across the United States and helped Honda make their mark. In 1973 Honda introduced the Civic. Evolved from the same recipe as the N and Z600, the Civic had a larger four-cylinder engine and achieved nearly 50 mpg. Honda was also able to meet the stringent U.S. emissions standards without the use of a catalytic converter. Their 1975 Civic featured the CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion) engine. The CVCC engine uses a secondary, smaller auxiliary inlet valve to feed a richer air-fuel mixture to the combustion chamber around the spark plug, while the standard inlet valve fed a leaner air-fuel mixture to the remainder of the chamber. The combination of the two inlet valves, with two fuel mixtures, created more efficient and complete combustion, which netted less carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions during operation.
In the first full year of sales, 1974, the Civic sold more than 43,000 vehicles and earned Road & Track’s “Car of the Year” award. By 1975, Honda Civic sales more than doubled to over 100,000. At the end of the first-generation Civic production in 1979, sales had eclipsed 700,000 cars. Today the Civic is Honda’s best-selling automobile, with over 27,000,000 sold since its inception.
While the U.S. market adored the efficiency of the Civic, there was a global demand for more space. Seeking to meet this demand, Honda introduced the Accord in 1976. The first Accord was a three-door hatchback which had a six-inch longer wheelbase and 15 extra inches in length compared to the first-gen Civic. The Accord employed the same CVCC engine technology to meet emissions and was a perfect addition to Honda’s ever-growing automotive product line. Within the first generation, Honda added the four-door Accord sedan, which offered passengers more interior head space and an enclosed trunk among other additional comforts.
The first Honda assembled in the USA
Toward the end of the 1970s Honda of America Mfg. Inc was established in Marysville, Ohio, and they began to manufacture motorcycles. Starting in 1982, Honda expanded into automobile production at its Marysville plant, and the first Honda Accord sedan rolled off the production line. Honda became the first Japanese automaker to assemble cars in North America.
In 1984 Honda introduced the Civic Wagon, and in 1987 offered its first-ever four-wheel-drive system. The car, often called “Wagovan” or “Shuttle,” was designed as a consumer utility vehicle. More than just a normal Civic with a wagon back, it was an exercise in added space. The wagon had an extended roofline with large glass windows and rear Land Rover-esque skylights. The rear seats folded down independently (50/50) for hauling, but also reclined for added passenger comfort. The Civic wagon had extra ground clearance compared to the standard Civic and employed undercarriage protection for the engine, transmission, and fuel tank. They even mounted the spare tire externally under the rear cargo area to create additional interior storage space. At a time when the Bronco, Bronco II, Cherokee, and Wagoneer were flirting with the new title of Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), the Civic Wagon had a hard time fitting in and was misunderstood by the consumer market.
The 1980s brought a new “luxury” trend to the American car market, as young urban professionals (nicknamed “yuppies”) sought to drive BMWs, Mercedes, and Porsches. Trade negotiations between the U.S. and Japan made it favorable for Japanese auto makers to export more expensive car models to the U.S. So, in 1986, Honda launched Acura as its luxury and performance brand for the U.S. market. Toyota’s Lexus and Nissan’s Infiniti brands followed shortly thereafter. American Honda set up 60 new Acura dealerships to push their new luxury marque and, within Acura’s first full year of sales, the Legend sedan sold 55,000 units, while their sportier LS/RS three-door and five-door sport sedan Integra sold 54,000 units. MotorTrend named the Legend import car of the year, and it also made Car and Driver’s “Top 10” for three years after its launch.
“So intelligently equipped your options are few” boasted the 1986 Legend brochure. The Legend had just two options: a sunroof and a choice of transmission, 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual. The interior was only available in cloth and the exterior color choices were limited to four hues. The only exterior branding on the Acura Legend was at the rear of the car. A small Acura badge was affixed to the left rear trunk lid while the rear center light area was adorned with the word LEGEND. A small V6 badge, added in 1987, broadcast the car’s Formula One-inspired 24 valve, 2.5-liter, single-overhead-cam powerplant that produced 151 horsepower. This was Honda’s first ever V6.
The “look at me” factor for the Acura Legend was all about engineering, efficiency, and overall quality. It wasn’t until 1990 the Acura ended up creating the emblem we all know today: an engineering caliper emphasizing precision and engineering, it looks like both an “A” and an “H.” The emblem first appeared on Acura’s halo vehicle, the NSX. For the remainder of the 1990s Acura produced the NSX but also added the Type R, a sportier version of the Integra, in 1995. Both cars featured Honda’s new VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) engines, which featured a camshaft with multiple profiles These profiles could be hydraulically selected (based on engine speed) to offer better fuel consumption at lower rpm operations and increased performance at higher engine speeds.
While the NSX was busy competing against the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, and other luxury brands, Honda went after the SUV market, introduced the CR-V to the U.S. in 1997. In some sense, the “Comfortable Runabout Vehicle” was the evolution of the ahead-of-its-time Civic Wagon. Much like the first Acura Legend, the first CR-V had one trim level when introduced. You would not find today’s standard items such as leather seats, sunroof, or window tint, but you would find cloth seats, a dash-mounted automatic shifter, and exterior trim made of heavy-duty, ding-less plastic. The only option on the first CR-V was anti lock brakes (ABS), which included an upgrade to alloy wheels. The engine for the CR-V was a 126 horsepower, 2.0-liter inline four which sent power to Honda’s Realtime AWD system.
This AWD system utilized two (front and rear) hydraulic pumps that sent fluid between both differentials. If the front and rear wheels were spinning at the same speed, the fluid pressure was constant, and the car operated in front-wheel drive. If the front wheels would slip, the fluid pressure increased and engaged a clutch housed in the rear differential. Once the rear clutch was engaged, additional grip was provided to the rear wheels and the car functioned in all-wheel drive. The full-size spare tire was affixed to the rear door, adding additional cargo space inside. The traditional location of a spare tire was converted into an enclosed subfloor storage area with a removable cover, which doubled as a fold-out picnic table for an all-American tailgate party. Honda’s overall goal with the CR-V was to make a capable SUV that drove like a passenger vehicle. Today, the CR-V is Honda’s top seller in the U.S, outselling the Civic and Accord.
The first-year CR-V featured here is nestled in the American Honda Collection Hall on the outskirts of L.A. During its single, employee-owned lifetime, the CR-V tackled more than 248,000 miles. In fact, many of the vehicles in the collection started life either in the hands of proud employees or dedicated customers. A Laurel Blue metallic 1990 Honda Accord LX shares the same breathing space with Honda and Acura racing legends at the far end of the American Honda Museum. Joe LoCicero of Norway, Maine, purchased his Accord LX, coined “True Blue,” in 1996 with a healthy 76,000 miles on the odometer. 185 oil changes, 72 tires, 31 transmission fluid changes, 13 sets of brake pads, and nine timing belts later, Joe was honored as “Million Mile Joe” in late 2011. “True Blue” still has its original engine, transmission, A/C and power steering system, fuel injectors, and brake calipers. The car was towed only one time, when the original fuel pump quit at 741,000 miles. Joe was honored with a “Million Mile Joe” Honda uniform, which is identical to the white uniforms that Honda employees wear at their factories.
“Everybody was equal, whether the plant foreman or a technician installing the left front wheel. The white uniform was a great equalizer and symbolizes the teamwork needed to build a car and make the product the best it could be,” said Dave Heath, who spent 35 years at Honda as a Senior Manager in Sales and Marketing.
As you can see, Honda’s journey in the United States could easily turn into a full year’s history class. There are so many vehicles, motorcycles, or inventions, many of them highly innovative. But let’s stop at Honda’s first 40 years and keep our focus on the basic, civilian automobiles Honda produced for the masses—the very cars that are now rarely seen in the wild. Why? Most were driven into the ground, passed down from parent to child to next owner to used-car dealer. They were rarely looked at as a collectible vehicle.
As I looked about the Museum’s pristine four-wheel drive Civic Wagon (easily my favorite), the first-gen Acura Legend, and first year CR-V with a picnic table on display, my collector mind started to churn. Why aren’t we seeing more vintage Hondas or Acuras at Cars and Coffees, or up for auction on collector car sites? Was it simply too easy to own a Honda, not requiring the gluttony for punishment associated with German, British, and Italian cars?
As Honda continues as a leading maker in the 21st century, it’s worth noting how far they’ve come in such a short time. Mercedes and Ford had a quarter to half a century head start, but through continued innovation and dedication to their formula, Honda created its own unique path selling economic and efficient products to the masses. With every click of a Honda odometer, every rev of an engine, Honda and their proud owners have more miles and smiles to look forward to in the future.
