DEL SOL: Honda's GREATEST Mistake
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- Опубликовано: 10 дек 2024
- The Honda Del Sol.
Back in the 1990’s… Mazda started a war…
A war that us enthusiasts benefited from.
With the launch of a fun, 2 door sports car that today is known as the car that is always the answer…
But the Miata’s overnight success rubbed Honda the wrong way; and they wanted their piece of the pie too.
Enter Honda’s rebuttal. A sporty targa that Honda carefully built to dethrone Mazda’s blockbuster hit.
That ultimately, with one small overlooked issue, came up JUST short.
This is the incredible story on one of the weirdest, most misunderstood Honda’s ever.
And how one mistake caused the DelSol to suffer a premature death…
This is the story of Honda’s Del Sol.
#honda #delsol #carhistory
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I bought a black Del Sol in 1995. I currently own one car, that Del Sol, and it's been my daily driver since the day I drove off the showroom at Santa Monica Honda. I drive it every day and love it so freaking much. Small, nimble, great for urban driving. But with a shockingly big trunk for hauling stuff. I'm really good about maintenance and can tell you it's broken down exactly 1 time. A hose slipped. 60 dollar repair. That's it. I've never loved a vehicle as much as my Del Sol.
I guess you never had kids
@@dboogeman2002 Nope! Never did I’m happy to say. 👍🏻😀
The way you wrote about your car is just very wholesome lol it’s an awesome car!
Bro get a new car already 😂
@@420BudNuggets I'll think about it if this damn thing ever breaks down! If I have the top down, young people will always yell at me, "Hey, what the hell is that?" I'm like "Honda Civic with 90's swagger!"
This was one of the most overlooked offerings from Honda in years. Under the hood it’s still a masterpiece
Ima say the CRZ also specially now with gas prices everyone buying them up
The Del Sol with a RWD B16/B18 would have been the better Mazda Miata without going the more expensive S2000 route.
Yes and they came with the Y21 boxes too with 4.4 final drives lsd options.
@@jasona9694CRZ was not misunderstood. It was created on the backbone of Honda most famous car ( CRX). It failed hard trying to make a sporty hybrid that was neither fun (primitive cost cutting suspension design) to drive or fuel efficient (heavy car).
@@SamuelamnuelgreeneggshamuelI have a crz, it's fun. not very powerful but not crappy either. very comfy and great interors. suspensions are very nice (showa ). fuel efficency is ok, depending on how you drive. it is more fuel efficency than most 1.0,three cylinders turbo with less than 100cv. Also it's not super light but not heavy compared to competitors in modern times.
By far one of the most misunderstood and underrated tiny sports cars, my dad's had and still has a few del sols, he loves them! A true underrated little gem
The del sol did come with a b16 in the US. It was called the Del Sol Vtec. My buddy can one back in the day and it was such a great car.
Have one rn in my pfp lol love it
i had one and it was so much fun to drive ❤️
yup almost got one but got a 95 civic ex instead
Ok was looking to see if anyone caught that one lol
I had 2 del Soul’s in my life and I loved both of them.
I own a 1995 Del Sol Si. I love it. So glad i saved mine from being parted out or junked. Slowly but surely shes being revived. Such a beautiful car deserves to stay on the road.
The USA did in fact receive the SiR variant called the Delsol VTEC which feature a B16A3 for OBD1 and B16A2 for OBD2A. The USA version had 160hp while the JDM EG2 came with 170hp due to higher compression and an optional LSD. The biggest difference between the USA and JDM car was the Japan model had a Transformer top which also made it heavy
Canada as well.
minor drawback of the VTEC is that it didn't have the transtop like the SIR. that would have been fuckin awesome to see in the states.
@@Gekkoidwell, it did add 500 pounds lol. And it was easier and faster to take the top off manually than the transtop
@@callmetimmy3004 ah figures, i should have assumed the transtop would add a bunch of weight.
@@Gekkoid also gets rid of the huge trunk space lol
Its a shame Honda didn't advertise and promote the Del Sol well enough. I owned a 93 Si with the manual and loved the car overall. Yes, it had the roof leak issue bit i resolved that. It was a great car for what it was meant for and practical. I chose it over the miata for safety reason because i lived in eastern Pennsylvania and the Miatas lack of a roof or similar structure made it a no go.
Look at my post. As a Honda tech, the Del Sol was a nightmare. The 7th revision of the roof was 14 pages long and only paid 7 hours. That repair took almost a day and a half if done correctly. Welcome to "Flat Rate".
@Garth Quapp your right, that job is a bitch and very time consuming. I did it on several Del Sols as private jobs. No, I'm not a professional mechanic just to clarify. I never took my roof off so I used heavy silicone gel. Never had another leak.
true honda didn't promote the car enough
up to now I don't remember a commercial for that car but I remember the commercial for the first gen Integra years before
I drove one outside being too much a civic it was a car I would like to own but not oratical enough for me
but a great summer car
@hugonubario When i had one, i quickly came to love the car inspite of the roof leak issue as i lived in semi rural area with a lot of twisty, narrow roads where small, light weight handling cars had the advantage, as well as being safer to opporate. I dailied that car and found it quite practical as well as easy to work on most things.
@@vanhasydan4754
lucky to have twisty roads near you!
I have to drive 2 hours to found one!
2 hours of fun off course but still 2 hours!
I chose to buy a 4 doors mostly for insurance
the del sol where I live is quite rare and expensive if you find one
The real problem the del Sol wasn't the power plant it was the fact that it did not handle well. If Honda had managed to make the del Sol handle as well as the CRX, the del Sol would have been a much bigger success. The targa top was lightweight and actually very easy to manage.
With just a fee suspension upgrades they handled a little better for a FWD vehicle.
Owned a S2000 and always attended the S2ki events on the Tail of the Dragon 🐉 hwy 129.
My S was in the Body Shop so I drove my wife's Del 🐌 Slow, she was a blast on those 318 curves in 11 miles. That little Del Slow was beating the S2000 beginner driver's that weren't familiar with the Dragon. 😂
They hand like dog poo even modded for track use. The chasis design is so poor the frame can bend from cornering too fast. They are only good for strait line mods.
You just need to put in the right mods and they handle better than you expect!
Talking stock then yes it does not handle very great but a simple tie bar coilovers and a front sway bar (which came stock in vtec trim) and they become as good as a regular civic with the same mods
I think you are misinformed or generalising.
Spreading misinformation like this is the reason why the Del Sol is so misunderstood
A top of the range Del Sol handled better than the CRX (3rd Gen hatch back).
If you compare the lowest of the Del Sol in your country then it would obviously not handle as well because they introduced more trim levels and options list compared to the previous model.
Same goes with acceleration.
Both top of the range CRX Del Sol vs CRX shows the CRX Del Sol won. There are 2 videos on You Tube of both stock cars with the Del Sol winning and dispelling the misinformation.
Say what you want, the del Sol does have its loyal following. Over the years I've owned at least 20 sols and currently have 4 of them - including an all original red 97 SI with ONLY 4,257 original miles and a limited edition (500 manufactured & released in germany) 1998 CRX/del Sol Motegi with 34,000 miles. My other 2 sols are used as daily drivers.
Show me. 😏
Back in Nov 2015, i shot a 15 minute video of my 4k mile sol (along with a couple of other sols). It's posted on youtube. Type: "honda del sol RED" and the video should pop right up. Be sure to type the word: RED. As for my motegi, i havent posted any video yet.
I have a 1993 si samba green. I can't believe you got your hands on a motegi though! Nw you gotta look for the daytona trim from Germany
Had my SIR over 16 years. Love the drive and will continue as long as I can get out of it. I'm 72 in March.
I am 60 now and feel the same way. I have 3 with the b16. 2 sirs and one vtec.
Love my 94 Sol! Pulled the bumper off this morning and am getting ready to prep the whole car for new paint & interior!
I want to see it
@@kibawhitefang7176 I'll be making a video on it, so make sure you're subbed with notifications on. Will be out in the next week or two at most.
@@eastcoastken 🤭 okay!! I have an _Acura RSX Type-S 2002 blue_
Do tell. I was going to get mine painted (external only) this summer, but the @#$#$ quote was over $8,000. Stupid California bay area prices. Good weather, but prices for service here are unreal.
Back in the day I used to work at a Honda dealership and that VTEC was awesome in that light body but we called it the leak and squeak because of that rooftop but it was a blast to drive
When I first bought mine it leaked around the seals above the driver side door lock. I read up online. And brought the seals all back to life with some die electric grease and elbow grease. It never leaked again.
No issues with mine leaking
I bought mine in near perfect condition 2 years ago and it's the best decision I ever made.
Great little cars 😊
Thank you Trav for providing us with this informative video. As one who was fortunate to own a 1993 Civic EX Coupe, I still wish I would have bought a Del Sol back then. My own reasoning was due to rear back seats on the Civic EX Coupe. I will say though that the Del Sol was an excellent product, and it should still be produced today! The Del Sol had the same great engine of the civics back then and offered 27mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway with their regular gas V tech engine! Moreover, the Del Sol had a light weight easily removable roof that could be stored easily in the trunk.
The Del Sol is also better than today's small and tight size Mazda Miata. Many people cannot even fit into a Mazda Miata, whereas the Del Sol had ample room for people six feet and over! The Del Sol is really missed today, and Honda should bring it back. They could even utilize a hybrid style engine. I praise Honda greatly for building and producing the Del Sol when they did. Mazda Miatas although great sports cars are too cramped and they do not fit people that have larger sized bodies, making them impractical. By the way the 1993 Civic EX Coupe was known as one of the BMWs of small cars from a major car magazine at that time, interesting.
Great info I would love to know which magazine and article that was.
It’s weird that everyone loves the Del Sol except the person making the video.
I wouldn't call it a mistake. I had 1992 model in bright orange color with enkei 16' black wheels with a custom made exhaust from engine to the very end. it was an eyecatcher. Small and simple. I have had a great times with it. It was incredible fun to drive. The only minus was, as mention, seals around the roof. Thal was pain in the ass. But overall - it was fun and i miss the car.
1:10 the Miata might have been “affordable” based on its sticker price, however, in actuality these cars were being sold by dealers at 2 to 3 times the sticker price due to their popularity and scarcity. I remember seeing 50+ year old pencil necks tooling around in these shaking my head knowing they could have had a Mercedes 560SL convertible for nearly what they paid for that Miata. It was like that when Volkswagen reintroduced the Beetle as well…overpaying for the buzz etc.
My old girlfriend had a Del Sol, manual trans and everything, fun little car and AMAZINGLY clean for a 10-year-old Honda in central Appalachia. I had an Eaton supercharged NB Miata, too, and I don't know who thought these were direct competitors, I mean the Del Sol was FWD, I don't see how they're similar in any way besides being 2-seat cars and somewhat similar in size. I guess the Del Sols were probably quicker in a straight line if you could get traction, but even a factory Miata tromps it in every way, let alone one with even modest and inexpensive mods.
I'm CONSTANTLY looking for a Del-Sol in good condition, unmolested with no issues and working a/c. It's impossible soo far 😩😥😪
I know what you mean.
I just grabbed one, a poverty spec 1.6 auto for £800.
I’m planning on retrofitting it to a higher trim level: alloys, aircon, etc. Otherwise it’s staying more or less stock.
I owned a 1988 Honda CRX and loved it. The only reason I got rid of it was because when my kiddos were born, I needed something with a back seat. Oh, Miata isn't ALWAYS the answer. If I want to go very fast in a straight line, my 500 hp daily driver is a lot more fun than a Miata could ever be in that capacity.
What daily driver is that?
@@freddysevolution9 A 2018 slightly modded 6 Speed Ford Mustang GT.
@@thullraven1ain't reliable
@@JGonzZ. It's been reliable for me. I wasn't talking about reliability anyway. I was talking about fun. When you give me a Miata that does 0-60 in under 4 seconds like my ride does, then Miata might be the answer for me, but not until that happens. I couldn't care less about corner carving as I don't have any here.
But, only in a straight line.
I LOVE MY ITR B18C SWAPED DEL SOL......THE DEL SOL VTEC CAME WITH THE B16A3
All my Honda’s. 87 accord DX 4D,CRX, accord v6 2D, 91.5 prelude 4ws, element AWD.
My current girls are ridgeline & 17 Fit supercharged AWD.
They sold the Del Sol VTEC in the US with the 160hp DOHC VTEC B16a3. That model was only built the last couple years of the Del Sol and are pretty rare, and it was actually the first model of Honda in the US to offer a B16 engine. Before the Del Sol VTEC only the Integra GS-R had an optional DOHC VTEC B-series engine stock. My first car was a '93 Del Sol S with a 5spd, it was a great first car. Almost 20 yrs later Id like to get another one
The del sol was the chassis with the most swaps in usdm
93-95 del sol s d15b7
93-95 si d16z6
94-95 vtec b16a3
96-97s d16y7 obd2
96-97 si d16y8 obd2
And i think 96 wasnt avail in vtec
But 97 vtec got the b16a2 which later on became famous bevause of the 99-00 si (b16a2)
Yup, the 97 vtec had the EM1 Engine a couple year sooner! Flew under the radar..
96 had a b16a2
@@callmetimmy3004 they're you go
I Love this Car! I have a 95 Del Sol running strong and fun!
I'm likely one of the few that has owned both. A '93 Si 5 speed in the late '90's and a loaded '06 Miata 6 speed from 2016 until 2020. The Del Sol was a hoot with all the handling characteristics of front-wheel drive (I had a Mini Cooper in the late '60's). The targa top did leak a bit but it was easy to remove and stow it without much loss of trunk space. I bought it used in 1998 with a 100k miles. It ran and drove like a new car and over the time I had it was bulletproof. Mileage was exceptional. On a mid-week jaunt up Highway 93 from Boise to Salmon, Idaho (well in excess of legal speeds}, it got 40 mpg. Its downside was a cheap interior. Mine was literally falling apart with the "molded" fabric covering the lightweight bucket seats coming away from the seat with rips exposing foam. Like I said, it had FWD handling with terminal understeer, but at 8/10th on a twisty back road, it was loads of fun. The MX-5 at near 100k miles drove and looked like a new car, inside and out. Had the 17" wheels and the Bilstein shocks and was truly a joy to push on those canyon roads. It also was troublefree but didn't get near the gas mileage of the Del Sol. On a road trip driven at the same tempo, the best I could do was 31 mpg. In the final analysis, the Miata is a "sports" car and the Del Sol is a "sporty" car. Although I can't help but think if Honda made a "Del Sol" today with the advancements they have made with the FWD technology and handling of the Civic Type R, they could have a real competitor to the Miata.
I had a 1995 Del Sol Si. Black, black interior. It was a completely marvelous little car. It was not super fast, nor was it a tire burner. But it had sufficient pep for me and my driving style. I thought it handled very well. The huge trunk was a plus; and the trunk lid being flat proved a great asset for tailgate events. I don't think these little cars were a mistake at all.
Myself and wife had an SiR. OMG that was an awesome car. I remember one day doing somewhere around 80kph in 5th and went to pass a truck going up a hill. Dropped it to 3rd, floored it. The wheels spun/broke traction. I also liked that you could take the top off and leave rear window up, they designed it so well there was little to no wind in the cabin on open road. For a 4 pot it sounded good too, esp when that vtec kicked in. It was def better than the MX5, more lively and edgy. The only negative thing for me is that it did tend to noticeably torque steer, to a point that I didn’t like. At times it felt like you were battling the car.
If you're telling the truth about your Del Sol spun the tires at 80kph in 3rd gear...then there was some unique circumstances involved that need addressing. You can't just expect people to believe that it would be expected to do that normally, in a straight line, on decent asphalt, in nice weather, etc.
If you were doing 80KPH(50MPH) and dropped in 3rd I think you hit redline on the tach with that move.
@@philmonat9352 So maybe he broke lose the tires for a second via engine braking. LOL. Not the picture he was trying to paint.
I bought my red Del Sol Si back in 1993.
I still have it. But I completely modified it with a iron sleeved B18C with a supercharger that makes over 400whp. Added oversized brakes to the front, race suspension, racing style seats and steering wheel, and sport body kit.
A guy in my childhood neighborhood had one of these, in lime green. It always reminded me of a piece of candy, with its cute rounded edges and compact size. It was probably the coolest car in the neighborhood at the time.
I wanted to buy a brand new green Honda del Sol in the mid 1990s but couldn’t do so because back then I had dismal credit ratings and no bank would finance me a bank loan. I regretted very much that I wasn’t able to buy that car. The dealership even lent me a del Sol for a few days but I had to turn it back in. I actually would have loved to own a del Sol. I didn’t care to drive it like a maniac so it didn’t matter to me that the Miata out performed it. I had to settle back then in driving my 1988 Hyundai Excel - a piece of junk!
I own a '93 Supra and '91 MR2. I'd LOVE a Del Sol. Granted, it would be tastefully modified with parts from the CR-V and whatnot. The Del Sol was 1 of thw best moves Honda made.
I like your taste in cars 😆 I own a 93 k swapped mr2 and. 97 del sol Vtec model. I don’t think I’ll ever sell the del sol
The USDM VTEC trim had the same b16 engine as the JDM SiR trim. They are extremely rare (only ~7k sold in total were sold in the 4 year run) but they absolutely exist stateside!
The 94-95 had the b16a3
The 96-97 had the b16a2
94-97 was the B16A3
99-00 EM1 had the B16A2
@@shirecain2129 wrong. 94-95 had the b16a3 and then 96-97 had the b16a2
🤚 one of the lucky ones that has a true eg2
@@shirecain2129 wrong, in 96-97 they were the b16a2 because they were converted to an OBD2.
My first ever manual transmission car was a '93 Del Sol S in white. Bought it with roughly 105,000mi on the clock, in 2011. Thing was rough, but man was it just a fun car that didn't take itself too seriously. It knew what it was, a two-seater Civic; excelling at nothing, but being good at everything. Thing was slow as hell, but with a combined average of nearly 41 mpg, I wasn't complaining.
There was even a time where, while the whole time I owned it, the D15 was burning oil. The oil pressure light came on, and I didn't have an opportunity to get around to it for another two weeks. For those two weeks I had no hiccups. By the time I got around to changing the oil, I was only able to drain out about 1/4 of a quart. It ran on less than a quart of oil for that long and somehow the engine didn't blow. I knew by that point (having a '00 Accord and a '98 Civic before) Hondas were reliable as all get out, but that cemented it for me.
I've since moved on to more horsepower in other manufacturers' offerings, but to this day every subsequent vehicle I've had I attach the original Honda keytag that came with that Del Sol when it was first purchased in '93. It's been 8 years since I've sold my Del Slow, but I still have a spot in my heart for the little guy.
April of '93, and I test drive back to back on the same day a new Del Sol and a new '92 Miata. The handling of the Miata made it a no brainer, instant decision. I thought I was buying a toy for my wife, instead it was one of the most reliable cars I've ever owned. I think the only mechanical repair in 123K miles was a new slave cylinder for the clutch. Reluctantly I passed it on to my grandson late last year. He's enjoying it as much as we did.
I only ever met one person who owned a del sol. She was a manager at McDonalds. Met hundreds of CRX owners though. I owned two EF hatches also.
I had a ‘93 with an automatic Si. Yes it was a SOHC but that car drove well and handled well. It got 33 mpg uphill, downhill, in the wind, no wind. Hot or Cold in a snowstorm or frying in the summer. Loved it, I had back problems so I gave it to my daughter.
Always wanted one of these as a teenager in the 90’s… loved the targa look, and nimbleness. I have an RF Miata now(which i love), mostly cause I couldn’t find a decent Del Sol.
These things have been in huge demand on the second hand market for twenty years. Being front wheel drive at those kinds of low power outputs isn't really that big of a deal.
Being fwd and targa top instead of rwd and soft top, means you can use it all year around and not only in the summer 👍🏻
I’d take a Del Sol instead of a Miata all day in the week.
I was hoping one of my clips made it in the video… glad I made it at the very end haha!
I love my '94 Sol. Hella fun down the backroads, and reliable enough for me to daily despite being nearly 30 years old.
I have one of these. I call it the "green jelly bean". Original owner, although it's like the ship of theseus. I've replaced so much. Unfortunately, the pick-n-pull lots just stopped getting them about 2 years back. Love it and will probably replace the engine (again) when it goes out. (I learned the hard way to not mix antifreeze types many years back and had to replace the engine) I just hit 215,000 miles. Most of the ones I was seeing in the pick-n-pull lots were around 180K That's about when the great part replacement project started for me.
Turns out this is the same car as the Acura Integra that so many love. So I get parts from old Interas as well. Even added the rear sway bar that was not included on the del sol. It was a simple bolt on addition since the chassis is the same.
For me, the Del Sol is still the most beautiful car ever
hondas greatest disappointment is never creating a cheap rwd coupe
Imagine if Honda went with RWD in the Del Sol.
I owned a red 93 Del Sol Si, manual and loved every minute of it. It was such a fun car.
This current Miata trend is embarrassing. The S2000 sure murdered Miata.
In 1996 the Del Sol vtec had the B16a2 and was in every way the same as the SiR, minus the auto roof gimmick.
Have one from 1992 inherited by my mom after buying it for college. 31 years later is still running without a single issue
I loved my Del Sol!!!
A ton of your content can be EXTREMELY cringey, but some of your most recent videos have been legitimately great, like this one. Keep these coming fellas 💪
Ayyyyy I took that video at 7:30!!! Cool to see the video again. I make a lot of del sol / Honda beat videos
I had a Del Sol Si & VETC as a demo when I worked for a Honda Dealership.
Thank you for the video
My first Honda was a '93 Del Sol si. I bought it in '98 with 36k miles. With the roof out traveling down the road, I could feel the steering wheel move laterally from torsional flex in the floor pan. I kept it for almost 2 years, then sold it to buy a crx. I've owned 4 crx's since. I never looked at a Del Sol again.
Love your docs Trav!
When I was a kid I wanted a del sol bad. It was my dream car. I knew nothing about performance but thought it looked cool. I also wanted cheetah print seats and fuzzy dice in it lol. Showing my age there. The Miata was never on my radar until Haggard Garage. I now own a 1990 Miata, non Haggard edition, though that was my plan until I actually drove the thing. Which was 5 minutes after I bought it and pulled into a gas station a little quicker than most but there was no drama. But, I went with the Miata because I needed something cheap and the S2000 was out of my price range. I'm forever Miata but could you imagine an S2000 in the 90's? It would've been one of the greatest rivalries in history!
Honda should have just offered the CRX in a convertible. Everybody loved the CRX and was a sales success. Also would have saved a ton of $ on R&D over designing a new car. Without the Del Sol flop we never would have gotten the Honda S2000. The real Honda sports car.
Hi best del sol enthousiasts:)) I also am fund with my del sol… it’s my summer drive car next to my Honda Coupe ..
I had a del sol for 10 years and 5 years ago I sold it, last year my search started to fibd a decent one as stock as possible..
It’s a 97 esi with 127 hp automatic eletric roof..
So fun to drive transtop again..
Maybe in future I will lower him a bit for better handling, but main is to enjoy the driving
I drive a 1993 Del Sol Si 5-speed. It's a really good/fun commuter car. A lot of non-car people think it's a miata 😆.
I owned one of these, I hardly call the car a failure, understand you're roof will ALWAYS leak, regardless, Shin-Etsu grease the seals every so often and you can keep it too a minimum, Del Sol is that Honda that requires a little more attention, the, "Italian" like characteristics of the roof leak, moderate electrical issues, gave it a weird attraction, but the engine was still Honda reliable, drove like a shortened EG Civic that wasn't fully adjusted so it was a bit twitchy and questionable in the corners, but if you understood its handling, you could get it to work pretty damn well, would so own another one, but I understand why the Miata is more wanted, *COUGH COUGH REAR WHEEL DRIVE* I shouldn't have sold it
Australian version was just called CRX. Came only with the b16a vtec engine. Manual transmission. But manual removable roof top only.
I live in Vermont and let me tell you this car was amazing in the snow, my friend got stuck with his Xtera I plowed right by in the Del Sol lol
This guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I owned a VTEC and an Si. We’re talking a difference of 8 hp between the VTEC in the US and the SiR in Japan. And the VTEC in the US? B16A. You should re-search. Better, sir.
I started as a tech at a Honda dealership in 1991. Those Del Sols were a nightmare. Before they went out of production, there were 7 service bulletins for squeaks, rattles, wind noise, and water leaks. It was such a terrible piece of crap. The B16 was the good part.
I’ll own a ESi for 9 moths now, restored and modded it… the result is the best handling car I’ve ever driven.
The video's a little decieving isn't it? True, SiR was never released in USA, the the Del Sol VTEC model was. It had the same DOHC Vtec B16 with 160 hp, and it came with disc brakes on all four wheels. I'm not sure if it had stiffer suspension and LSD though, which may have been the main difference between the VTEC model and the SiR - but those aren't emissions related. Maybe I'm missing something...
The del sol became the S2000 which crushed the miata in every way
The Sir = the 1.6L B16a2 1995 thru 1997 Del Sol VTEC sold in the US - same engine used in the EM1 in 1999
Always loved the Del Sol! Love Hondas and the Miatas I got to drive while working at a dealership!👍🏻👍🏻
del sol is no mistake at all is 1 of the best small convertble ever made and it was a civic indestructible
I called it the CR-FLEX because the chassis would flex like crazy when going up a steep driveway at an angle. Leaky roof seals, door panels with shitty vinyl adhesive, terrible blind side, heavy AF. You couldn't even get good road head in one because the center console was so damn bulky and the seats sat so low. The only thing I liked about it was the spacious engine bay. Compared to the 2nd Gen CRX, it's a total downgrade in just about every way. The Miata and the Del Sol were considered chick cars(or barbie cars) by just about everyone. But nostalgia is a helluva drug, so people will still love it.
Bad news, the sorts of people who judge cars as 'chick cars' think your (awesome, btw) CRX is a chick car too.
It's such a cringe thing to say. Why be like those needledicks?
We added a 1996 base model del sol to our collection a few years ago. One owner 375k on the clock. Just used it to work and back yesterday 300kms of fun!!
Had the delsol among many other Hondas over the years. The delsol was one of my favorites. D16z6 with a 14b turbo. NO JOKE
Over fifty miles to the gallon!
You are very mistaken, this car was the future.
I regret having sold my 95 CRX Del Sol.. it would have been a great 'project' car for when I would have free time... It was fun, reliable, and so great to drive with the roof off... and hit the right rpms to have the Vtech scream. It had a B16 engine with aftermarket dampers .. a real rocket.
I loved my Del Sol, but had a few issues. I have big feet and the wire harness above the clutch rest pedal would come undone and the car wouldn't start. Was a clutch and a light car, so I would just get out, push it and then pop the clutch. Once started it didn't stall. The other main issue was the handling with the targa top off. Lots of twising vs. when the top was on. It seemed like the doors were made of alumnium they dented so easily. Also in order to get power you REALLY had to rev the engine to very high RPMs, which was quite different vs. other cars I had previously owned. Overall lots of fun, a huge trunk for the size of the car.
Looked hard at the Del Sol in the mid-90s. For about the same price I got into an Integra which I drove until I found the S2000. Loved the concept, but the potential issues with the roof and rear window pushed me more toward the rock solid Acura. But nothing compared to the S2k.
YOU TAKE THAT BACK RN DEL SOLS ARE AWESOME
I passed on all these for the Mazda MX-3. LOVED that car!
Interesting potted history… I noticed that you referred to Porsche when you mentioned the origins of the targa top. Triumph was way ahead of Porsche with a removable targa top in 1961 on the TR4, called the Surrey Top at the time, sold as a metal or canvas option.
Had one with a JDM B18r. 200 at the wheels. Absolute heaven.
I have a 93 si 5speed with 260k that I bought for 500 bucks. Very minor rust runs fantastic roof doesn't leak. Also I'm 6'8 and fit nicely. It's fun fast handles surprisingly well goes good in snow gets over 30 mpg and it Just. Does. Not. Break.
If Hondas were rear wheel drive or AWD they would never be able to make enough of them.
Their two most sought after cars are both RWD S2000 and NSX.
I would buy an RWD Accord or civic instantly.
Would have been an all-time classic if it was FR or MR. Could you imagine an affordable mini NSX?
LOL need to make a correction at the part of the video at 6:15 the US did get the B16 vtec in the Delsol **Vtec** model it wasn't called the SIR here but we never got the limited slip diff tho super annoying for fwd cars another reason why the car kinda sucked compared to the na of the time at least giving you an option for that. ive owned both cars and loved them! my two delsol vtecs i had and my na with a hardtop 1.8 and limited slip. all really fun cars and had some great memories FWD or RWD idc all fun to me!!
i remember this lady in my neighbor hood drove a red one back in the 90s, i thought it was the coolest....not so much today but still a cool story
I think the direct competitor from Mazda for the Del Sol was actually the MX-3, both having FWD with the MX-3 offering two 1.6L I4 engines (SOHC and DOHC versions) and a 1.8L V6 outputing 133 HP, one of the smallest V6 engines on the market (Mitsubishi had a 1.6L V6). From the front they are quite similar, but there are some differences: the MX-3 was a hatchback with 4 seats ( I wouldn't really call the back seats as usable though, not for a long trip at least) and it came with a sunroof.
I always loved Del Sols and CRXs... but being 6'3 i've always had big body 4dr vehicles w/ the exception of 1.. smallest car i ever owned was a 4dr 2000 Mercedes C230k
Had a 96 Del Sol VTEC at one time. Liked the refreshed front end over the previous years.
I would still take a real MR vehicle over one that is FWD that looks like a MR car.
Ive had many many Hondas. My del sol comes in a very close 3rd to my h22 97 ek hatch and my CRXs. Ill always be a CRX first guy but absolutely love my del sol.
I owned a '90 CRX. When the Del Sol came out I looked it over. I concluded that Honda had succeeded in building a car that had all of the DISadvantages of a mid engine design, with NONE of the advantages. I happily drove my CRX for another 10 years.
Super interesting video
I loved my Del Sol, but I always thought it should have been mid engine, or rwd at least.
I think it was supposed to be a bigger Beat but costs kept it FWD
I had a ' 93 metallic blue one, bought as the 3rd owner. great car with some design flaws. 1. You couldn't last an hour in that car in the seating position it was meant to drive in. 2. they all had issues with rusting at the the side of the seat, lower part of columns (water drainage issue). 3. Bad seal design around the targa roof. (leaked like a siv). The power train and handling was good with a little tweak could be excellent. Lot more room than the equivalent year Mazda Miata (brother had a '94 red one) I have a 1987 Toyota Celica GT rag top as a run around toy (lots more issues)👍
Honda was not even taking on Mazda. That is a myth propagated by the nieve basing their comparison that they are both NOT fixed solid roof tops.
Look at the design closely and a Targa is not the same as a convertible
A hard top is not the same as a soft top
Also, comparing special edition models (that boost sales), the Miata had no less than 15 special editions to boost sales (marketing differences).
In anycase, the fact that decades later the Miata made a Del Sol copy with the Miata (ND) RF shows how far ahead Honda was.
I bought my Honda Civic Del Sol, new in 1993 and still drive it daily. No engine or auto transmission repairs. Yes, other repairs, but nothing major. No doubt the Arizona weather has contributed to its longevity Hardly my greatest mistake!!
You know, I went to college with a girl who had this car and I always thought it was overlooked. I had no idea about its backstory. Thanks for taking me back to school today (see what I did there?).
If they had made these RWD, they could have put up a good fight.
I keep wondering why most cars Honda makes is FWD. Can’t come up with anything else but costs & keeping the MPG on point.
@@kibawhitefang7176 Honda sees RWD as "old thinking". Similar to their view of V8s. They believe there is nothing that can't be matched or surpassed with technology and innovation.
They have made some great advances in automotive design, but sometimes it's best to give the market what it's asking for.