The Honda Prelude is a sports coupé that was produced by Japanese automaker Honda from 1978 until 2001. The two-door coupe spanned five generations and was a platform modification of the Honda Civic. The Prelude was used by Honda to introduce the Japanese Honda retail sales chain called Honda Verno, with the Prelude shortly introduced later internationally. The word "prelude" means "an introduction or an announcement of an event" as the Prelude was Honda's first sports car development from the popular Civic platform. Prelude competitors traditionally included the Toyota Celica, another... straight-4-powered coupe introduced several years prior, the Nissan Silvia, Isuzu Impulse, Mitsubishi FTO, Mitsubishi Cordia , and international alternatives Opel Manta/Opel Calibra, Ford Probe and Mazda MX-6. On November 24, 1978, the Prelude, which used the second generation Civic as a base, was launched, and was only available at the newly established dealership sales channel Honda Verno. The dealership also introduced the entry-level Honda Quint, the Honda Ballade, and the Honda Vigor as its largest sedan and hatchback.
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