The private museum at American Honda may be the best-kept secret in the car business in California. In a warehouse near American Honda’s offices in Torrance, California, that isn’t marked, a growing collection of Honda and Acura cars, motorcycles, outboard motors, generators, and other strange Honda For the previous twenty years, goods have been kept in storage. The only way to get into the Honda Collection was through close connections, except for the rare media event. Honda fans can finally celebrate because American Honda has accepted the Collection and put it on show. We recently went to the American Honda Collection Hall opening, which is now at the main entrance to Honda’s American offices. Unlike many car companies, Honda has built a real museum-style show that is 20,000 square feet and has some of the brand’s oldest cars on display. Even better, it can now be bought by more people. The Collection has a few original cars with almost no miles on them that were set aside for preservation from the beginning. It also has cars with more than 100,000 miles on them that were found in and around Los Angeles (usually by Honda employees) and fixed up by the Collection’s brave team. We know that most of the cars are in great shape because we’ve driven some of them, like a 1975 Civic CVCC, 1978 Accord, 1985 CRX Si, 1999 Prelude SH, 2001 Civic Si, and, of course, that 1997 CR-V with 248,000 miles. Acuras we’ve tried over the years include a 2003 MDX, a 1986 Integra, and a 2001 Integra Type S that went up against a current Civic Type R. Honda has a lot more cars than can fit in the Hall, so the cars on show will likely change often. In addition to the cars, the new American Honda Collection Hall has displays about the company’s past as well as several Honda motorcycles, ATVs, racing vehicles, generators, outboard motors, and even a lawnmower. The MotorTrend Of The Year knuckles are next to the Car & Driver 10Best awards. Honda, we need to talk about that. The recognition that Honda has won is on show in a trophy case. How do I get to the Hall for the Honda Collection? Every third Saturday of an even-numbered month, from 9 a.m. to noon, Honda will host a Cars, Bikes, and Coffee event at its offices. The Collection Hall will be open for people to look at. On the other hand, the Hall is available whenever the headquarters are, and people are free to wander around. Even though there is no charge to get in, a stand sells T-shirts, hats, and other things. We’re glad that American Honda has accepted and shown its past. Honda is one of the most well-known car brands in the country, and it has significantly impacted (and changed) the way Americans like their cars. More than that, we’re glad that the hard work of the Collection team over the past 20 years is finally being recognized. Southern California locals should attend the Cars, Bikes, and Coffee event. If you’re a Honda fan from out of town visiting the Los Angeles area, the American Honda Collection Hall is a great place to go, even though Torrance isn’t a popular tourist spot.
