Honda Fans Can Visit the Automaker's New Museum at Its California HQ

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

Believe it or not, Honda’s been around in the U.S. for decades, and to Celebrate, the automaker opened the American Honda Collection Hall to show some of its most iconic models. The display will be open during regular "Cars and Coffee" events starting in October.


Honda established its first American presence in 1959, also its first business presence outside of Japan. The automaker now sells hundreds of thousands of vehicles here each year, moving more than 980,000 last year. Its headquarters in Torrance, CA, is joined by a manufacturing facility in Ohio, and the company is gearing up to release new American-market EVs in the coming years. 

The American Honda Collection Hall will house several historic models during the exhibition, including the 1070 Honda N600 Coupe, the first Honda sold in the United States, and a 1986 Acura Legend, the car that launched the brand in this country. Visitors will also see the 1997 CR-V, Honda’s first in-house SUV, and a 2006 Honda Insight, the country’s first mass-produced hybrid car. 

Of course, Honda makes all manner of motorized vehicles, so the display will also include a variety of motorcycles, power equipment, and race cars. The 1962 Honda 50/Super Cub, 1969 Honda CB750A, and 1981 Honda CBX1000 will be displayed, along with a handful of other iconic bikes. Honda will show a marine outboard motor and generator on the power equipment side and three racing cars from the 199s, including the record-breaking 1997 Acura Integra Realtime.


[Images: Honda]


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Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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  • Lou_BC Lou_BC on Sep 13, 2023

    Does Honda make anything cool enough to warrant being in a museum that doesn't sport an Acura badge?

    1st generation Civic?

    • Theflyersfan Theflyersfan on Sep 14, 2023

      Yup. And the NSX is a Honda everywhere else in the world. I wish the del sol SiR was sold in the US. (the site is now throwing a fit with uploading pictures...oh well...)



  • IH_Fever IH_Fever on Sep 14, 2023

    I'm actually kind of shocked California allows this museum to exist as a shrine to carbon emissions spewing, planet killing, death machines. :)

    • Lou_BC Lou_BC on Sep 14, 2023

      I guess it's ok when they are parked and hermetically sealed.


  • Redapple2 jeffbut they dont want to ... their pick up is 4th behind ford/ram, Toyota. GM has the Best engineers in the world. More truck profit than the other 3. Silverado + Sierra+ Tahoe + Yukon sales = 2x ford total @ $15,000 profit per. Tons o $ to invest in the BEST truck. No. They make crap. Garbage. Evil gm Vampire
  • Rishabh Ive actually seen the one unit you mentioned, driving around in gurugram once. And thats why i got curious to know more about how many they sold. Seems like i saw the only one!
  • Amy I owned this exact car from 16 until 19 (1990 to 1993) I miss this car immensely and am on the search to own it again, although it looks like my search may be in vane. It was affectionatly dubbed, " The Dragon Wagon," and hauled many a teenager around the city of Charlotte, NC. For me, it was dependable and trustworthy. I was able to do much of the maintenance myself until I was struck by lightning and a month later the battery exploded. My parents did have the entire electrical system redone and he was back to new. I hope to find one in the near future and make it my every day driver. I'm a dreamer.
  • Jeff Overall I prefer the 59 GM cars to the 58s because of less chrome but I have a new appreciation of the 58 Cadillac Eldorados after reading this series. I use to not like the 58 Eldorados but I now don't mind them. Overall I prefer the 55-57s GMs over most of the 58-60s GMs. For the most part I like the 61 GMs. Chryslers I like the 57 and 58s. Fords I liked the 55 thru 57s but the 58s and 59s not as much with the exception of Mercury which I for the most part like all those. As the 60s progressed the tail fins started to go away and the amount of chrome was reduced. More understated.
  • Theflyersfan Nissan could have the best auto lineup of any carmaker (they don't), but until they improve one major issue, the best cars out there won't matter. That is the dealership experience. Year after year in multiple customer service surveys from groups like JD Power and CR, Nissan frequency scrapes the bottom. Personally, I really like the never seen new Z, but after having several truly awful Nissan dealer experiences, my shadow will never darken a Nissan showroom. I'm painting with broad strokes here, but maybe it is so ingrained in their culture to try to take advantage of people who might not be savvy enough in the buying experience that they by default treat everyone like idiots and saps. All of this has to be frustrating to Nissan HQ as they are improving their lineup but their dealers drag them down.
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