The Prelude was a Honda-made sports coup, that debuted in 1978. This in-line 4 powered coupe was facing tough competition on all sides, especially from the Toyota Celica and the Nissan Skylines. The Prelude was not an big hit abroad, loosing out to the MR2, and even Hondas own Civic and Integra models. The Prelude does however have a cult following in the US and UK, especially the sporty MT versions.

The Preludes 3rd. gen. was released in 1988, new for this model year was 4 wheel steering, style upgrades and new available engines. The 2.0S B20A3, a SOHC 12-valve engine with a dual-sidedraft carburetor and 1958 cc displacement, outputting 104 hp (78 kW) and 111 lb/ft (150 N/m), and secondly the 2.0Si B20A5, a DOHC with PGM-FI, increasing power to 135 hp (101 kW) and 127 lb/ft (172 N/m) of torque, and finally a B21A1 2.1L DOHC PGM-FI, offering up 140 hp (100 kW).

In 1992, the 4th. gen. Prelude was released, bringing with it some changes to the Prelude line up. Gone were the pop-up headlights, the new headlights featured a stylish, aggressive and slanted appearance. The rear end was rounded, and fairly high in comparison to the previous square trunk line. The front fascia of the car became wider, with fixed headlights. Also a new sun roof was added. A special flat-and-low dash was added, still with the blue back lighting. Several performance upgrades were also added. The new Prelude featured a 58-42 weight distribution. Also updated was the 4-wheel steering, now being electronically controlled. Most of the engines also received an upgrade, increasing the output. The brake rotors were also upgraded to 11.1" discs, and larger brake caliper and pads.

The last generation Prelude was the fifth, released in 1997. All Preludes now featured 16" aluminum wheels and 11.1" front brakes. The stylings were a return to the boxy style of the '80s Prelude. One special performance version of the Prelude was called the Type S, equipped with the 2.2 l H22A, featuring VTEC and producing 223 hp. Performance improvements were made to the air box, throttle, exhaust suspension, manual transmission and an Active Torque Transfer System (ATTS), that helped push handling to the top of its class.

The Prelude is a minority in the tuning world of Japan. When tuned, it is most commonly seen in the American influenced Spo-Com scene. However, fast Time Attack machines have also been built. There are Honda dedicated tuning garages around Japan, such as M&M Honda and Mugen, with parts catalogs supporting the Prelude. Aero, Exhaust, Suspension and more can be found to increase the power and handling abilities of your car.

The Odyssey is a mainstay to tuners in the van tuning industry. Customization parts such as Aero and Suspension are plentiful, making the Odyssey an easy to tune car for VIP/Spo-Con style. Great looking tuned examples are easily seen daily in the streets of Japan, and popularity continues to stay strong with each new generation of Honda's flagship minivan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Prelude