When initial waves of Datsuns, Toyotas, Mazdas and Hondas came onto British roads they began oxidising almost instantly, and five- or even three-year old Japanese cars with frilly wheel arches and a tidemark of body sealant along the sills were common. But the other fine qualities of these cars could not be denied, and despite the rust, the awkward styling and the unusual names, Japanese cars enjoyed high satisfaction rates and earned regular repeat customers in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Nonetheless, any early-1980s Japanese car is a rarity. For it to be a Honda – the 16th bestselling car maker in the UK in 1980, well behind Datsun and Toyota, not to mention the likes of Talbot, Audi and Volvo – is even rarer. For it to be a Honda in virtually showroom condition with fewer than 50,000 miles on the clock is something of a unicorn.
But that’s what we have here.
