I have a very distinct memory of attending the Honda Collection Hall back in 2013… It was my first trip to Japan and the Collection Hall was a must-hit spot for my friends and I. Being such die-hard Honda guys, it would almost be an injustice to not see it. We weren’t very familiar with the area or how to get to the Twin Ring Motegi, where the Honda Collection Hall is at, but we luckily had some great Japanese friends with us who picked us up and escorted us to the site. Many years and many trips back to Japan have gone by, but I never went back. Not so much because it wasn’t anything interesting to me, but I just always feel like I have so many things to do while I’m in Japan and am constantly seeking out new automotive-related things. I’ve had many friends go back, multiple times, and ICB Matt seems like go like every other week, haha. I enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like it wouldn’t be much different going back yearly so I just haven’t. The Twin Ring Motegi is a really cool track in itself, and there is always something going on there, so the Honda Collection Hall isn’t the only thing you will see if you go. It’s just not so much for me anymore. I feel like I could go back every five years or so and not much would change. It’s like a museum site almost so things can’t possibly change much. I know they rotate cars out here and there to keep it fresh but the bulk of it goes unchanged. Nonetheless, I know many of you guys would enjoy seeing more current photos of it so here they are….

These are not my photos. As I said, I haven’t gone back since. I did however, get a nice little Direct Message on Instagram last year from a fellow Honda enthusiast in Japan who did visit in October 2017. He shot a ton of photos while he was there visiting with his girlfriend and was kind enough to send them over to me. I felt bad because I’ve been sitting on them so long and it’s like early April of 2018 already. There’s just been a lot going on and these ended up just floating around in my Inbox…

I finally found some spare time to go through them the other day and they are really cool shots from inside the Honda Collection Hall. He shot EVERYTHING. I mean, basically every inch of it, but…that would just be a little overwhelming to present all at once so I took the liberty of eliminating the photos that are necessarily relevant to the site. The Hall has different floors and one of them is mainly dedicated to motorcycles, which are a huge part of Honda’s family lineage. I don’t know anything about them and I won’t try to act like I do, so I omitted most of it from this gallery. The rest is all either really quirky stuff from Honda’s past, or the cars we’ve all come to know growing up. If you’re a Honda guy, you’ll definitely find it entertaining. Those that aren’t into Hondas, well, maybe you’ll be able to look at these and learn a thing or two about your car guy’s favorite lawnmower company, lol. Kidding of course. Though Honda did and does continue to manufacture pretty much everything you can thinking of, including robots that will one day take over the world and hold all of us prisoners. But… that’s not for another 50 years or so and most of us will be gone by then, so good luck to your children when they grow up to fend off Honda aka Skynet with John Connor and the rest of the human resistance….

Enjoy.

And thank you to Shunichi Satou for the great photos which I altered slightly and I hope he doesn’t get mad… 😉

Welcome folks, to the one and only Honda Collection Hall. Please keep your hands to yourself and visit the gift shop at the end of the tour…

Upon entering the famed hall, you are greeted by what appears to be the headquarter of the Avengers and Tony Stark’s vehicle collection…

The Honda Sports 360, or S360, was one of the first automobiles that Honda ever produced back when it was known for strictly being a motorcycle manufacturer. It had a 360cc engine (hence its nomenclature), had a top speed of about 100 km/hr, and retailed for about $1500…

The centerpieces of the bottom floor of the Honda Collection Hall was the (left to right) Honda RC142 motorcycle, RA272 race car, S500 convertible, and another early model motorcycle…

The current model Honda Insight engine was also on display, generating enough power to charge your iPhone for 3 seconds before it caught fire. As you’d expect by now, they aren’t currently returning my calls for the position of Curator and Tour Guide. In reality, this is actually a 1965 Honda Generator which there were about half a million models distributed during that period which helped to charge batteries and power all kinds of other things that required electricity…

The S360 which is the grandfather of both the S2000 and S600….

I imagine the 1960s were a pretty cool period in Japan with these types of transportation available…

ASIMO, everybody’s favorite humanoid robot, created by Honda in 2000. This was the early stages of the Terminator T-800 model which later arrives from 2029 to take over the world and destroy mankind. In 2018 it currently is learning how to go upstairs still after it went for a tumble during a convention a few years back. It’s overwhelming Japanese pride would later lead the armies of Skynet against all of Humanity. Right now I think it just hugs people and gives you directions to the toilet….

Look into ASIMO’s eyes and get your virtual Naughtyamerica on while it watches you humiliate yourself in a span of 4 minutes…

Honda even laid out its gameplan to all of us before it became Skynet, telling us that the first model was called “Monster” and the goal for its third model was “Ultimate Murderability”. Oh “mobility” I mean. Mobility. Yes….

All the current models before the T800 Terminator was produced, (left to right top image) Icebox Head Man, Ground-Control-To-Major-Tombot, ASIMO’s older less cool brother ASIMOHOLE, and ASAAKIRA, the first female humanoid robot…

Also on the first floor was this REPSOL RC213V, a 999cc 240PS MotoGP competition bike piloted by Marc Marquez…

Mounted just below the gas tank is a NTG N2 Blow nitrogen canister… for nitrogenning obviously…

The shift linkage mechanism on the RC213V…

Digital display up front on the REPSOL MotoGP bike…

Ohlins dampers and Brembo brakes…

One of the most recognizable liveries of all-time…

Soichiro Honda’s company timeline as the brand rose to prominence…

An appropriately amazing architectural display for Honda…

RC142 and RA272…

The RC142 competed in the Isle of Man TT Race in the late 1950s, one of the most important Road Racing World Championships of that time…

It features a Air-cooled 124cc DOHC 4-stroke engine that produced 18PS and featured a 6-speed gearbox…

This #11 RA272 won Honda’s first-ever F1 Grand Prix, piloted by Richie Ginther and powered by a 1500cc V12 engine which made 230PS and revved to 12,000RPM…

It also oddly resembles a Kazoo with wheels on it…

A look at the rear end of the RA272…

The Honda S500 was a pretty great-looking car for the 1960s, wouldn’t you agree?…

The S500 and S360…

Just looking at the steering wheel and taillight size relative to the body should tell you how small the S500 really is…

Here you can see the red interior of the S500, perfectly contrasting the white body…

Two very important pieces of Hondas famed racing past…

“After making his mark in the 250cc class of the All-Japan Road Race Championships, rider Tadayuki Okada fulfilled a long-held dream with full participation in the 1993 World Grand Prix. Besides Okada, other NSR250 riders….combined to take 7 wins out of 14 races and gave Honda its third-consecutive Manufacturers’ Title…”

Ronnie Bucknam’s #12 Honda RA272 race car…

John Surtee’s #7 RA273 which was used during the 1966-67 Formula One seasons, powered by a Soichiro Honda-designed 3000cc V12 engine….

Satoru Nakajima’s March Honda F2 812 wearing the famous John Player Special livery…

The one and only Honda Mugen Motul #16 Group A Civic race car next to the #25 Closed-Top Honda S800…

The Honda Mugen Motul #16 Group-A Civic won the overall class victory at the 1987 Japanese Touring Car Championship. It was the first Honda production car to be powered by a DOHC engine in 20 years. It was so fast that it often overtook other racecars that were in a different division, running engines as big as 2500cc…

So interesting to see a add-on hardtop on an older S800 convertible…

The one and only JACCS Mooncraft #14 Honda Accord JTCC race car which was powered by a reverse-cylinder head H-series engine running individual throttle bodies that made around 300HP…

Super cool Carbon fiber side mirrors on the JACCS CD Accord…

Center-locking Enkei wheels tucked tightly under the front fenders. I always loved how the old JTCC competition vehicles sat with their centerlock wheels tucked deeply under the body…

Traditional touring car rear spoiler on the rear of the Accord…

These two legends are worth a trip to the Honda Collection Hall alone…

Kaneko NSX GT2 #84 24hr Le Mans race vehicle. I think I also saw this NSX a few years ago when I visited and its still resting nicely inside the Honda Collection Hall…

Raybrig NSX GT500 competitor and the Avex DOME Mugen NSX JGTC race car side-by-side…

One of the more interesting liveries of that period, showcasing the ever popular “middle school dance” where the girl stand on one side and the guys perched up like wallflowers…

2018 Repsol Motorcycle which is a throwback to the days when people just rode bicycles. Kidding of course. In reality this is the Honda Model A, which was produced in 1947 and served as the first production model that put Honda Motor Co. on the map….

The Honda Cub F were known as the “red engines with white tanks” because, well, they are the red engines with white tanks. These early Honda engines were supplied and shipped nationwide by a network of bicycle dealers in cardboard boxes. When they were delivered on your doorstop via Amazon Prime shipping, no assholes stole them from your doorsteps because people didn’t do that shit back then…

Honda family lineage through the 1960s – ’70s…

The Honda T360 pick-up truck was actually the first Honda production automobile in existence, beating out the S500 by four months. The 360cc engine made about 38HP and when you were in a hurry, you could probably just get out and pick the thing up and just walk faster…

JDM T360 headlight. The USDM ones have an amber lens inside. Obviously lying of course. Don’t believe anything I say currently…

The Honda TN360 is actually a truck version of the popular Honda N360 hatchback. Think of the Civic that later helped create the CRV. Same same, just used for different purposes…

See, I didn’t make that up…

Speaking of the Honda N360…uhhh….here…is…one… Random story but have you guys ever heard of Autopower roll bars? Of course you have. Anyways, Autopower is actually based out of San Diego, a city I used to live in. I went to go pick up my Autopower roll bar one day at their facility and noticed a yellow N360. As it turns out, one of the workers drove it and he used to drive it all over San Diego, often times using it to make deliveries…

Here is something you don’t see every day. This masterpiece is the Honda Civic “Country”, which was the first domestic-market station wagon available from Honda….

Even the sun flare couldn’t make it interesting…

And here we have the “Wonder Civic”, the car that started it all for Honda modification and racing…

If you can’t read it, it says: “‘Wonder Civic’ was the concept name for the 3rd generation of the popular Civic series. The distinctive long roof of its novel 3-door hatchback version appeared to be copped-off at the end, a design which won it immense popularity, including a car design grand prix award in Italy, and Japan’s ‘Car of the Year’ award. The series also included a 4-door sedan, the 5-door Shuttle, and the sporty CR-X, each of which attracted wide praise for the individuality of its unique design…”

This was the 1980s Honda line-up…

The first generation Honda Accord, powered by the same 1.5L CVCC engine that was used in the Civic. It was the first vehicle in its class that came with power steering, air conditioning, and power windows. Before the Accord came along, people used to steer with their forearms, fan themselves with newspapers, and open their windows with cranks. Talk about luxury compact!…

The first generation Honda Prelude, which was always the awkward sibling in the family that was pretty unique but still shunned by the masses because there was an Civic and Accord which were practical and easy…

Honda City Cabriolet and hatchback…

The City Cabriolet shared exterior design elements from the Turbo II and was Honda’s first car since the S800 to offer the pleasures of open-air motoring. The body with its convertible top was designed by famed Italian car designer Pininfarina, and buyers could choose from twelve different body colors. None of the colors were Midori Green, Championship White, DAP, or Electron Blue Pearl…

Did you know that the first Integra was originally known as the Honda Quint Integra? All the Hondas of that period had names associated with music, such as the “Quint” for Quintet, Ballade, Concerto, etc. The most popular being the Honda Flute CR-X, which is totally not real…

Oh, speaking of the Ballade Sports CR-X, here it is. It was originally offered to the market as the Ballade Sports CR-X and not just “CR-X”. Did you know that the CR-X acronym is widely accepted as being the “Civic Renaissance X”. That is not a lie, and totally true. So if you own one of these, you actually own a Honda Ballade Sports Civic Renaissance X…

Look at the rear end on that Civic Renaissance X…

Even more interesting is the interior materials offered in the 1980s…

Two cars that you’re probably still pretty used to seeing is the first generation Honda Insight and the Honda CR-X del Sol. Did you know that Ichishima from Spoon Sports has this odd fascination with this generation Insight and bought a shit ton of them and literally hasn’t done anything with them thus far? Totally true by the way. One year we went to Spoon and he had one sitting inside TYPE ONE and we were informed that he just started stock-piling these things…

Every Japanese Domestic Market OEM option you can think of on this del Sol and it just sits here at the Honda Collection Hall, removed every so often just for minor maintenance…

Now we get to the good stuff… the NA1 Honda NSX-R….

“The NSX-R brought aggressive racing circuit-oriented refinement to the NSX, Honda’s flagship sports car featuring the world’s first mass-produced all-aluminum monocoque body. While the R-Type’s engine was rebalanced and refined for top performance, every part of its chassis and bodywork was revised to trim off over 120kg in weight. Suspension ws stiffened for full racing circuit enjoyment, while specialized high-performance features like its ultra lightweight Recaro bucket seats and Momo steering wheel steeped the NSX-R in true racing flavor.”

After the 1997 model year, the NSX-R was replaced by the NSX Type S Zero and didn’t return again until 2002…

NSX-R Recaro seats in red of course…

Still every Honda-lovers dream car after 25 years…

The NSX-R paved the way for its two brothers in the years that followed with the DC2 Type R and EK9 Type R…

These two models were THE cars of course, which inspired basically every Honda enthusiast to build their cars to meet the expectations of the R namesake. I don’t really have to explain any of this to any of you guys that follow the site of course because you should all be very familiar…

I guess it is just forever awesome to see these two being preserved inside a museum, forever holding onto our collective hearts…

“Targeted as the ultimate front-wheel driven sports model, its development focused on the pursuit of dynamic performance and a sport nature.”

And to think, Yasu owns one of these and whenever we are in Japan, we just get to cruise around in it like it’s just a regular car. Life is good…

Looking at these photos now after actually physically being there after all these years really makes me appreciate it a lot more…

The ’90s were definitely some of the best years in Honda’s history, and a particular great decade for many of us car guys…

Anyone that has ever been to Japan and has snacked at any convenience store will tell you that they appreciate the Lawson livery just as much as they do the Mugen Motul colorway…

I really enjoyed Satou’s photos because he went and the perfect time of day between the afternoon and sunset. It really helps to present the Honda Collection Hall the right way…

Forever one of the fastest Kazoos in Japan…

If you EVER go to Japan, and have a deep appreciation for Hondas, this place is a must. Thank you for looking and I hope you enjoyed my revisionist history of Honda, haha. I appreciate you for looking but like you that much more because you read…