The Honda Prelude was a sports coupe

Coupé

A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...

 produced by Japanese automaker Honda

Honda

is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

 from 1978 until 2001. It replaced the Honda S800

Honda S800

The S800 is a sports car from Honda. Introduced at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show, the S800 would replace the successful Honda S600 as the company's image car and would compete with the Austin-Healey Sprite, MG Midget, Triumph Spitfire and Fiat 850 Spider....

, a front-engined, front wheel drive sports car

Sports car

A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....

. The two-door coupe spanned five generations and was eventually discontinued on the release of the fifth-generation Honda Integra

Honda Integra

The Honda Integra is a compact luxury performance coupe made by Honda during the years 1985 to 2006. The sporty front wheel drive car is able to house five passengers with a two door hatch or four door sedan available.The Integra was on Car and Driver magazine's annual Ten Best list six times, in...

 or Acura RSX

Acura RSX

The Honda Integra DC5 is a Japanese performance sports car, which was also known as the Acura RSX in North America . It is available in base and "Type-S" models in North America, and a "Integra iS / Integra Type S" and "Type R" version sold in Japan and Oceania...

 Type-S in North America in late 2001 as well as the release of the Honda S2000 in early 1999. In the U.S., the Accord Coupe superseded the Prelude.

Prelude competitors included the Toyota Celica

Toyota Celica

The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of coupes made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin word coelica meaning "heavenly" or "celestial"....

, another straight-4

Straight-4

The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....

-powered coupe introduced several years prior to the Prelude.