Hallowed Halls of Honda

Portrait of the Genius as a Young Man: One of the hall's several photo displays of Soichiro Honda and the timeline of his life. Honda brought the American Dream to Asia, using leftover WWII scrap to first build motorized bicycles, then a global automotive revolution.

there's Nothing quite like an O.G. '78 Prelude. It Still looks good after all this time and was a potent little motor then: a 1.7-liter three-valve CVCC that put down 85 hp, comparable to a Datsun 510. It was the first Japanese car to feature a motorized sunroof and was one of the roomiest coupes on the road at the time.

In 1987, this bad-ass won all six JTCC races in its 1600cc class. Love the Mugen rims. Specs say 225hp.

Predecessor to the roadster we all know and love, the S800 debuted in 1966, picking up on the momentum of Honda's successful S500 and S600 models. The S800 made a whopping 70 hp and was Honda's first 100-mile capable car. All we need is one of these next to a '67 'Vette rag-top in our garage and we're all good.

Following Ayrton Senna and Honda's dominating 1988 season (winning 15 of 16 races) using a twin-turbo V6, Honda delivered the larger N/A 3.5-liter V10 to McLaren in 1989. Alain Prost pushed it to the winner's circle at the Belgian GP, giving Honda its 50th Formula One victory. Making 600 hp at 12,000 rpm, the RA109E engine powered Honda to the top podium spot 10 times.

Sure, you know about Asimo, the harmless little Honda robot known for busting some old-school dance moves (but not the Robot, ironically). Now get a gander at Asimo's ancestors, particularly the terrifying P1. The P2 and P3 start to look a little more like the robot we know, but they're really not as scary as they appear. Honda showed us video of early trial runs and these fools couldn't take more than five steps before tripping and landing on their pie hole.

Driver Osamu Nakano piloted this '97 Accord SiR to four wins of the 15-round '97 JTCC All-Japan Touring Car Championship, including the season championship finale at Fuji Speedway. Specs say it puts down 310 hp at 8500 rpm.

Here's the S800 again, this time in 1968 racing garb. Its 100 hp (at 10,500 rpm) was good enough to win its GT-1 class in a 12-hour enduro at Suzuka raceway. Even more impressive, its 0.87-liter engine managed to hang with larger 3.0-liter opponents for a third-place finish overall.

By 1967, Honda's fourth season in F1, engine displacement was up to 3.0 liters. The RA300, driven by John Surtees, delivered Honda its second F1 victory at the Italian Grand Prix.

Honda does in fact have some history with turbocharging, as evidenced by the 1983 City Turbo IIR. Built for an entry-level race series, the water-cooled 1.2-liter engine put down 138 hp aided by an intercooler.

Keiichi Tsuchiya was one of three drivers to pilot this '95 NSX to eighth overall in the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans (it won its GT-2 class).

Powered by an air-cooled V8, the RA302 marked the end of Honda's first dabble in F1. The company would not return until 1983.

Keiichi Tsuchiya co-drove the DC5 to a first-place finish in its debut race, the 2001 Tokaichi 24-Hour enduro.

the RA271 marked Honda's official entry into Formula One. It debuted at the 1964 West German Grand Prix with a 1.5-liter dual-cam engine mated to a six-speed transmission pumping out 220 hp at 12,000 rpm.