Good news: the Honda Prelude is coming back as an affordable-ish, hybrid coupe! Bad news: despite some earlier rumours we heard, it looks like it won’t be offered with a manual gearbox. That’s a shame because the Japanese manufacturer has a bit of a history with manual hybrids, most recently with the Honda CR-Z.
Built between 2010 and 2016 (although dropped in the UK in 2015), the CR-Z was a curious little kammbacked coupe with a shape more than a little reminiscent of the old CR-X. Unfortunately, the only powertrain was a hybrid setup consisting of a 1.5-litre four-cylinder and a small electric motor, sending a peak of 121bhp (later 130bhp) to the front wheels, so it never quite had the performance to back up its good looks.
Not from the factory, anyway. Thankfully, renowned Honda tuner Mugen was waiting in the wings to give the CR-Z a bit of extra shove. That came by way of a supercharger, which upped the total system output to 174bhp and 194lb ft of torque.
That was far from the only upgrade: Mugen also gave the CR-Z a new front splitter and rear wing, both of which were adjustable, believe it or not. Five-stage adjustable coilovers, 17-inch forged wheels, beefed up brakes and a cat-back exhaust completed the overhaul.
Honda CR-Z Mugen RZ – interior
The package was called the Mugen RZ, and it was topped off in Azure Blue Metallic with some equally blue interior accents. By all accounts, the changes turned the CR-Z into the car it always should have been, but just 300 were made, all for Japan.
Now, though, number 98 of 300 is up for sale in the UK, and it’s a good’un, having only covered around 9300 miles from new. There is a catch, though – it’s listed at £29,750. In the used market, that cash will buy you a heck of a lot of hot hatch or sports car – a low mileage manual Porsche 997 Carrera S, for instance; or a barely run-in Toyota GR Yaris. Not to mention plenty of examples of Honda’s own sensational FK8 Civic Type R.
Honda CR-Z Mugen RZ – rear
Sure, this is about as special as CR-Zs get, but can the changes really make it worth six times more than a nice, standard one like this tidy blue example we found? After all, the regular CR-Z may not have been quick, but it was still a nice thing to drive.
Really, though, who can account for the value of limited-run JDM performance specials these days? Now that manual hybrids seem to be a thing of the past, the CR-Z seems destined for cult classic status, and the opportunity to own a Mugen RZ won’t come around very often.
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