Officially launched in production guise in September 2025, the Honda Prelude brought back the coupé model with a hybrid powertrain, with front suspension and dampers from the FL5 Civic Type R. Sleek, but what if it was made to look more overtly sporty?
The Honda Prelude HRC Concept displayed at the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon showcases two-door model outfitted in parts from HRC (Honda Racing Corporation), and the two-door model is one of several from the Japanese manufacturer that has been given the HRC treatment.
This appears to be largely cosmetic exercise as Honda has not revealed technical details specific to the Prelude HRC Concept, though we can see that the show car wears a selection of exterior parts made of what appears to be “forged” carbon-fibre, such as the front splitter, side skirts, exterior side mirror covers, rear wing and rear diffuser.
The Prelude HRC Concept also appears to be lowered from its standard ride height, riding on a set of Enkei 19-inch 12-spoke alloy wheels shod in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres measuring 265/30R19. Behind these are a set of red-painted brake calipers, with the front-axle units similar to the OEM examples in Prelude Blue.
The standard production Honda Prelude was teased by Honda Malaysia last November, in a cameo appearance suggesting that the two-door coupé could make an official Malaysian-market arrival soon.
The Prelude employs Honda’s Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) hybrid powertrain from the Civic e:HEV, pairing an Atkinson-cycle 2.0L inline-four petrol with an electric motor to drive the front wheels. Codenamed LFC-H4, the powertrain produces 141 PS at 6,000 rpm and 182 Nm at 4,500 rpm which powers a traction motor rated to produce 184 PS and 315 Nm for the front wheels, with total system output rated at 203 PS.
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Prelude Type Ricer