Automotive 1983
Honda
Fasten your seat belts.
FROM THE PRINTED PAGEOriginal ad copy
OCR transcription from the archived page. Scanning and reading-order errors may remain.
Fasten your seat belts. The new Honda Prelude began as a clean piece of paper. Honda engineers sketched a superior aerodynamic shape. A low wedge with a wide stance and increased overall length. Once the design was conceived, they set about perfecting it. They made the windshield and door handles flush with the body. New retractable halogen headlights raise in such a way to cause less turbulence. Underneath is a new front suspension. It's a unique double wishbone, low-profile concept inherited from Honda Formula racing car experience. Independent MacPherson struts support the rear wheels. A low center of gravity contributes to handling and stability. A new engine improves performance. It has 12 main valves, 2 intake and 1 exhaust for each cylinder's main combustion chamber. The result is better breathing and efficiency. And the dual carburetors make highway passing power more than passable. Engine displacement is upped to 1829cc. With the standard 5-speed shift, there's an increase of 33 percent in horsepower. There's also a new 4-speed automatic transmission available. Variable-assist power steering comes only with the automatic. Particular attention was given to the new interior. There's more room. Front bucket seats hold you firmly and comfortably for extended touring. Push-button controls are all within easy reach of the driver. Your hands easily grip the thicker 3-spoke steering wheel. And when you aren't carrying passengers in the rear seats, the rear seatback unlocks with a key and folds down for added luggage space. It also gives you access to the trunk. Trunk size has been increased by 20 percent. A power-operated Moonroof is included in the long list of Honda standard equipment, along with our best AM/FM stereo radio with digital electronic tuning and an autoreverse cassette and four speakers. When you first drive the new Prelude, you'll think you are in something else. You'll be right. HONDA The new Prelude.
Commentary
Honda’s “Fasten your seat belts” is a command before it is a claim. The dark, low coupe stretches across the spread like a machine caught between a studio and a night road, while the copy traces its construction from clean sheet to suspension, engine and cabin. The ad asks the reader to admire design as a chain of decisions.
The engineering language is unusually tactile. Flush handles reduce turbulence; a low centre of gravity supports stability; bucket seats hold the driver; the thicker steering wheel receives the hands. Performance is never allowed to float away from use. Even the 20-percent increase in trunk size is made part of the same argument: this is a fast car that can still carry life around.
The final line—“you’ll think you are in something else”—works because the page has already described exactly what the “something else” is: a car with racing-derived suspension, sharper breathing and an aerodynamic body. The surprise is engineered, not mystical.
For young copywriters, this is a lesson in sequencing. Move from origin, to mechanism, to lived sensation. The copy earns its emotional close by making the reader walk through the physical evidence first.
Honda traces its American history through engineering, automobiles, motorcycles and racing in its heritage archive. Today it sells cars, SUVs and electrified vehicles alongside its other mobility businesses.
The lasting promise is intelligent performance that remains usable. The carburetors, cassette deck and retractable headlights date the ad, but its larger design idea—make technical choices improve the driver’s daily relationship with the car—still feels distinctly Honda.