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Clever four-wheel steering makes the 1988-’91 Honda Prelude Si 4WS more desirable, if only slightly more expensive
Hemmings Stock Exchange - Imported Collectibles
By Mark J. McCourt from January 2021 issue of Hemmings Motor News
Photos courtesy of Honda.
Comments: 7
In This Article
Advanced technology was a hallmark of 1980s-era cars from Japan. While Honda was one of the more conservative marques when it came to styling, it enjoyed a reputation for innovative technical solutions, like the emissions-reducing CVCC engine. Active four-wheel steering was pioneered by Nissan on that company's home-market 1986 Skyline, but the first automaker to sell a four-wheel-steer car in the U.S. was Honda: the 1988 Prelude Si 4WS. That variant, available throughout the third-generation Prelude's run, was expensive to buy new, but after years of being underappreciated, it's growing in value now.
Honda's flagship sports coupe was redesigned and refined for 1988, and this new Prelude's tech was the result of 10 years of research and development that grew out of the company's semi-official participation in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Experimental Safety Vehicle program. The "Steer-Angle Dependent 4-Wheel Steering System" was conceived as an active safety feature to enhance emergency handling, as well as low-speed maneuverability, steering the rear wheels in the opposite, or same, direction as the front wheels, depending on the angle to which the fronts were turned. Its fully mechanical design differed from the hydraulic-mechanical and electric-hydraulic systems used by Nissan, as well as by Mazda on the 1988 626 Turbo 4WS that followed the Prelude Si 4WS to our market. And the benefit to Honda's sharp-looking, 2.0-liter DOHC 135-hp two-door was a turning circle cut from 34.8 to 31.5 feet, plus enhanced maneuverability and stability. (For additional info check out Honda's own history of four-wheel steering.)
The 4WS option added $1,300 to the 1988 Si's MSRP, the total $17,945 being roughly equivalent to $39,500 today; that not-insubstantial sum brought subtle B-pillar badges, 14-inch alloy wheels, power door locks, and bronze-tinted glass. A new wheel design and trunklid-mounted rear wing with LED stop-lamp marked the 4WS-equipped 1989 Prelude Si, while a subtle facelift and new, 2.05-liter, 140-hp engine greeted buyers for 1990. The final year of the third-generation Prelude saw body-color moldings and mirror housings added to the 4WS option package, and that car retailed for $18,450 (around $35,260 now). Honda would debut an all-new Prelude for 1992, and that model continued to offer 4WS, but it was a redesigned, speed-dependent, computer-controlled system powered by an electric motor. The option would last be available to U.S., buyers in 1995, while 4WS remained available on the Japanese domestic market model through 2001.
There's a big disconnect between consumer and enthusiast value guides when it comes to these sporty Hondas. In 2010, NADAguides valued the 1988 4WS around $200 more than the standard Si, with a range of $2,250 to $5,025; today, that range has dropped (!) to $1,400 to $3,300, with a 1991 listed for $1,525 to $3,525. Hagerty has accounted for some surprising recent auction results when determining its figures, including an outlier 10,000-mile 1991 example that brought $30,251. Hagerty suggests a first-year Prelude Si 4WS is worth $2,800 in #4 "fair," $8,400 in #3 "good," $14,000 in #2 "excellent, and $25,200 in #1 "concours" condition.
Related Stories
Clever four-wheel steering makes the 1988-’91 Honda Prelude Si 4WS more desirable, if only slightly more expensive
Hemmings Stock Exchange - Imported Collectibles
By Mark J. McCourt from January 2021 issue of Hemmings Motor News
Photos courtesy of Honda.
Comments: 7
In This Article
Advanced technology was a hallmark of 1980s-era cars from Japan. While Honda was one of the more conservative marques when it came to styling, it enjoyed a reputation for innovative technical solutions, like the emissions-reducing CVCC engine. Active four-wheel steering was pioneered by Nissan on that company's home-market 1986 Skyline, but the first automaker to sell a four-wheel-steer car in the U.S. was Honda: the 1988 Prelude Si 4WS. That variant, available throughout the third-generation Prelude's run, was expensive to buy new, but after years of being underappreciated, it's growing in value now.
Honda's flagship sports coupe was redesigned and refined for 1988, and this new Prelude's tech was the result of 10 years of research and development that grew out of the company's semi-official participation in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Experimental Safety Vehicle program. The "Steer-Angle Dependent 4-Wheel Steering System" was conceived as an active safety feature to enhance emergency handling, as well as low-speed maneuverability, steering the rear wheels in the opposite, or same, direction as the front wheels, depending on the angle to which the fronts were turned. Its fully mechanical design differed from the hydraulic-mechanical and electric-hydraulic systems used by Nissan, as well as by Mazda on the 1988 626 Turbo 4WS that followed the Prelude Si 4WS to our market. And the benefit to Honda's sharp-looking, 2.0-liter DOHC 135-hp two-door was a turning circle cut from 34.8 to 31.5 feet, plus enhanced maneuverability and stability. (For additional info check out Honda's own history of four-wheel steering.)
The 4WS option added $1,300 to the 1988 Si's MSRP, the total $17,945 being roughly equivalent to $39,500 today; that not-insubstantial sum brought subtle B-pillar badges, 14-inch alloy wheels, power door locks, and bronze-tinted glass. A new wheel design and trunklid-mounted rear wing with LED stop-lamp marked the 4WS-equipped 1989 Prelude Si, while a subtle facelift and new, 2.05-liter, 140-hp engine greeted buyers for 1990. The final year of the third-generation Prelude saw body-color moldings and mirror housings added to the 4WS option package, and that car retailed for $18,450 (around $35,260 now). Honda would debut an all-new Prelude for 1992, and that model continued to offer 4WS, but it was a redesigned, speed-dependent, computer-controlled system powered by an electric motor. The option would last be available to U.S., buyers in 1995, while 4WS remained available on the Japanese domestic market model through 2001.
There's a big disconnect between consumer and enthusiast value guides when it comes to these sporty Hondas. In 2010, NADAguides valued the 1988 4WS around $200 more than the standard Si, with a range of $2,250 to $5,025; today, that range has dropped (!) to $1,400 to $3,300, with a 1991 listed for $1,525 to $3,525. Hagerty has accounted for some surprising recent auction results when determining its figures, including an outlier 10,000-mile 1991 example that brought $30,251. Hagerty suggests a first-year Prelude Si 4WS is worth $2,800 in #4 "fair," $8,400 in #3 "good," $14,000 in #2 "excellent, and $25,200 in #1 "concours" condition.
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