The first generation of the Prelude was launched in Japan in late 1978 and in the following year was unveiled in Europe and the U.S.

The sporty coupe was a good alternative for the Civic or the Accord, which were, despite their reliability, boring looking cars. The Prelude was a different breed, built with independent suspension in all corners, but on a different platform than the Accord.

Like the Accord and the first generation Civic, the Prelude featured round headlights in squared casings. A chromed rim surrounded the front fascia from the hood’s edge to the chromed, plastic bumper. A black grille with horizontal slats was installed and fille and the space between the headlights. The raked windshield started the short greenhouse lines, and a short decklid amplified the sporty look of the car.

The interior was fitted with cloth upholstery for most versions, while the top-trim level was fitted with Connely leather. While most of the cars from that era showed different dials for the tachometer and speedometer, Honda tried something different. The two dials were in a concentric layout. The inner-circle was dedicated to the tachometer and the outer one for the speedometer. In the middle, there was a small area for warning lights. It offered room for two but was fitted with another pair of seats in the back, but with minimal legroom and headroom.

The Prelude was fitted with two engine choices, with a 1.6-liter displacement for the base version and a more powerful, 1.8-liter four-pot unit for the top level.