Appearing during the decade that really saw Japanese manufacturers establish themselves in a certain number of markets – across the Atlantic in particular – the Honda CRX, the first of its name, is probably one of the most exciting models ever designed by the Honda CRX. Tokyo. We must remember: it is from this time, more than forty years ago, that Honda, after having demonstrated it in the field of two-wheelers and then in motor racing at the highest level, is similarly emerged as one of the best engine manufacturers when it comes to production cars. But if the CRX, which looks an awful lot like a large motorized toy compared to current models, has largely benefited from the brand's specific talents in this case, the seduction of the car does not stop there. Much more exclusive and interesting to contemplate than any GTI, this endearing little coupe with a suggestive physiognomy has easily addictive virtues and, these days, more and more enthusiasts are starting to remember it... and to save the rare survivors still preserved from tuning!
It starts like a ballad
In the summer of 1983, Honda presented the third generation of the Civic which, as everyone knows, the beginnings date back to 1972. As with the previous iteration, it was definitely no longer a question of limiting the range to a 3-door coach mainly intended to scrap, on the European market, with the Renault 5, Ford Fiesta or Fiat 127. With continually increasing dimensions, the basic version of the new Civic is closer to the VW Golf or the Opel Kadett – all the more so since three other bodies accompanied it: a four-door sedan with a separate trunk, an original raised station wagon called Shuttle (the name would last a long time at Honda) and, under the name Ballade Sports CRX, a stocky coupe, extremely compact and above all without rival. Renamed Civic CRX (an acronym meaning, according to some sources, Civic Renaissance eXperimental), the car arrived in Europe at the beginning of 1984. At 3.65 meters, it was then, by far, the smallest coupe available on the market. Beautifully designed, the machine benefits from a design that is at once modern, playful and very personal, with judiciously calibrated proportions – which was not a foregone conclusion with such a small size.
The avant-garde against the pre-war
And the festival continues when you lift the hood. With no competitor in Europe – or elsewhere – the CRX easily provides the services of the most sophisticated four-cylinder in its category, at a time when cast iron blocks are not rare and where Renault still offers, in the 5 Alpine Turbo, its indestructible Cléon-cast iron with side camshaft and carburetor. The comparison proves cruel for the French firm as for other manufacturers: the 1.5 liter Japanese, made entirely of aluminum, has two overhead camshafts, a distribution with three valves per cylinder (two for intake, one for the exhaust) and an electronic injection PGM-FI (for Programmed-Fuel Injection) designed in-house. The unit develops 100 hp at 5750 rpm and propels the CRX (825 kg empty) to 190 km/h at peak. A few weeks later, Peugeot unveiled the 205 GTi, whose valiant 1.6 liter, with honorable characteristics but unable to claim the same sophistication as the Honda, nevertheless offers 105 hp and comparable times. Of course, the CRX does not follow the same philosophy as the 205 or the eponymous Golf, which retain the silhouette and therefore the habitability of their basic models, while the Japanese coupe only offers two really usable seats (the The embryonic rear seat is in itself an insult to the posteriors of passengers who try to sit there) and a lesser carrying capacity. In truth, the Civic CRX is a pleasure car, a provider of driving pleasure and whose versatility of use is not the most striking quality. But who cares ?
More GTIs!
Even if its road qualities are not quite up to European standards – due to a suspension compromise resulting in excessive stiffness and braking with endurance that could be improved – the first CRX demonstrates agility and a general balance which allows you to make the most of its brilliant mechanics. With a wheelbase of only 2.20 meters, the car literally makes you want to play as soon as the road starts to turn. Furthermore, as a good Japanese, the most recreational Civic has not sacrificed its proverbial virtues of solidity and mechanical reliability on the altar of performance. Electrical quirks, uncertain starts in cold weather and recurring oil leaks do not belong in its grammar. With it, sports drivers discover a faithful, well-built machine, whose finish is the polar opposite of French or Italian cars and enjoyable to drive in all circumstances – except on the motorway, where the noise level imposed by a familiar engine at high revs becomes quickly boring. But this is not the usual playing field for the machine which, again in the Honda tradition, will continue to evolve, first with the introduction, in the summer of 1986, of a 1, 6 liter 16 valves of 125 hp, then, in the fall of the following year, a second generation with softened shapes and equipped with the same group, this time pushed to 130 hp which – is it a coincidence? – correspond exactly to the resources of a certain 205 GTi 1.9, and not very far from a Golf GTi 16 S, which the Honda is familiar with in terms of performance figures, while the chassis is constantly progressing towards a refinement that is unusual at this level price, with triangulated running gear and rear disc brakes. Let's talk about price, precisely: in July 1988, a CRX 1.6i-16 was worth 104,500 francs (around 30,000 euros in 2023), while you had to shed 94,400 francs to drive a Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9, for 112,650 francs to acquire a VW Golf GTI 16 S 2 doors and a Renault Super cinq GT Turbo requires 84,400 francs.
A VTEC to finish
Four years after its appearance, it is clear that no manufacturer has followed in Honda's footsteps, whose CRX remains splendidly isolated in a segment that it revived - when examining it, how can we not think of the late coupe S 800? – but without generating vocations. Its final evolution, for the 1991 vintage, will brilliantly conclude a career in the form of a permanent technological fireworks display, since the model will feature VTEC – Valve Timing Electronically Controlled, in other words a variable intake timing system, then unique at this level of power - borrowed from the NSX Berlinette presented in 1989. With 150 hp at 7600 rpm, this legendary engine nevertheless appears to be the quintessence of the "old-fashioned" multi-valve, as hollow at low revs as expansive at the top of the rev counter. Moreover, having fun behind the wheel of a CRX has always implied unrestricted use of the gear lever – which is particularly pleasant to handle – but this singularity here reaches a sort of climax which is an integral part of the personality of the car, and which we will subsequently find on many other Hondas of the same ilk. However, at the beginning of 1992, the third generation CRX (called Del Sol in most markets) resolutely turned its back on the initial concept by transforming into a convertible coupe of the Targa type, just as well motorized but more suitable for cruising than for the arsouille... Produced in total at nearly 500,000 examples, today it is the first two CRXs which attract the attention of connoisseurs, who relentlessly hunt down full stock cars, which have become as rare as an Aston Martin Lagonda with a working dashboard – which won't stop the sleuths at CarJager from finding you one. If the model tempts you, you know what you have to do.