Prelly Parade

[eddie_squidd]

I'm going to be putting up a proper profile of my 5th gen 2.2 Motegi sometime this weekend when it's all cleaned up ready for Japfest and I can get some good pictures of it. This is my fourth Prelude though, so while I'm waiting to do that I thought I'd tell you about my history of them from 2nd to 5th gen, and how I've spent 20 of the 28 years since passing my test driving Preludes.

This was my first Prelude, a 2nd gen 1.8 EX. I wasn't looking for a Prelude when I bought it, but I saw it for sale and a friend of mine had once given me a lift in his mum's one and I was very impressed. Don't have exact dates but this would have been in the mid 90s.





Sadly the only shots I have of my second Prelude, a 3rd gen 2.0 EX were taken in the snow so you can't see much of it. It was a bit of a low spec one to be honest and I didn't have it that long. This was in about 2000.



This was my third Prelude, a 4th gen 2.3i and a much nicer car. Out and out the prettiest Prelude I have owned, just a beautiful car. The 2.3i was a bit of a different beast to the more popular 2.2 VTi, not quite as powerful, no Vtec obviously, it seemed to be a bit more of a cruiser than the racier 2.2.





Sadly, this is what became of it due to a drink driver in a country lane.



Out of the ashes of this (well the insurance money) I bought my current 5th gen in 2006. (this photo is from 2008).



It was a bit shinier in those days! Here's a shot as it is now, there's some cosmetic issues I'm in the process of attending to, some of which will be sorted before Japfest and some later. As I said before, when it's been prepped I'll take some better shots of it and do a full profile.

[norks27]

Great write up Eddie.
Love your 4th gen, a beauty. Hope the drunk driver was hung drawn and quartered for crimes against humanity/Ludes.

Look forward to the Motegi profile.

[eddie_squidd]

Thanks norks!

Yeah the other driver (he did this damage with a bloody Vectra of all piles of crap) was arrested for being well over the limit, apparently he was on his way back from drinks at the golf club. It completely tore the front wheel off his car so we gave as good we got! I was gutted though, really gutted, although fortunately unharmed. I assume he would have been convicted, it was open and shut case, but I never heard.

[mart609]

Love that 2nd gen!!

[NafemanNathan]

Shame your 5th gen wasn't red as well Love how each gen goes up in the performance list as well

[eddie_squidd]

Love that 2nd gen!!

I used to love the single windscreen wiper, and the pop up lights of course. God knows why it had a tow bar though.

[eddie_squidd]

Shame your 5th gen wasn't red as well Love how each gen goes up in the performance list as well

In a way, although I always wanted a 5th gen in that blue, that was the colour. And that cassis red was always my favourite colour for the 4th gen. Given the choice I'd probably have had a white 3rd gen.

The engine range has gone up over the years of course, the 2nd gen offered a 1.8 or 2.0, the 3rd a 2.0 and a 2.2, the 4th gen a 2.0, 2.2 and 2.3, so I suppose there was naturally a bit of arms race engines-wise. With the last two I definitely got more discerning about spec as well and started going for the bigger engines and better trim. The advantage of the rise of Autotrader online! I wasn't just buying the first Prelude I could find anymore.

[toadster]

Lo
Great write-up and a luvly collection of Ludes you have had
I love pop-up headlights I had a MK1 MR2 and a Celica GT
I would have removed the tow hook of the 2nd Gen tow hooks on cars are the work of the devil
Cheers
Toadster

[wurlycorner]

Great write up, superb to hear from someone that has actually owned 4 of the 5 prelude gens and in order - proper fan
Absolutely criminal (literally in that case as it sounds) what was done to your lovely 4g glad you were OK out of it, other than emotionally.

[Sailor]