HONDA Insight

THE HONDA INSIGHT G1 was never built to last. As much as we’ve become latterly accustomed to the idea of a five-year warranty or the notion of Honda’s obsessive engineering, there’s an inevitable mortality to the Insight. By modern standards it enjoyed a cranefly-like existence, the terminal failure of its hybrid battery packs being something you could guarantee. The Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system could flatline with as few as 25,000km on the clock. Yet an issue that would sound the death knell for any other vehicle as a collectible classic is exactly what has sparked the Insight’s cult appeal. It’s probably the first modern classic you can home hack.

Just as there is a whole generation who know exactly which coin was best for adjusting the mix on a Stromberg carb, so there’s now a burgeoning community that