These days, we are getting a lot of reports that Honda is planning to bring back its legendary sports coupe. Produced in five generations, for a full 2023 years, this nameplate hasn’t been used since 2001 and now it looks like Honda could revive it. So far, the officials are quiet, but we can see reports that suggest different scenarios. Some of them speculate about the use of this nameplate for a new all-electric vehicle. Others, on the other hand, speculate about the 2024 Honda Prelude ZL1, which would bring cooperation with GM to a whole new level.
Namely, the companies are currently working together on electrification, as GM is supplying Honda with batteries and electric motors. This time, the cooperation would be completely different, where we would see a model that has a lot in common with Chevy’s muscle car, Camaro ZL1.
2024 Honda Prelude ZL1 Design
Of course, this is just a rumor for now and therefore, the only thing we can rely on at the moment is a digital rendering, done by Ramadhan, the virtual automotive artist behind the Digimods DESIGN channel on YouTube and although it’s not the only render of the revived Prelude, it’s notably different. Namely, most renderings show a design heavily inspired by older generations. This time, most of the inspiration has been taken from the Chevy Camaro ZL1. There is the familiar silhouette, while the key differences are at the front and rear ends, where this Prelude sticks to Honda’s contemporary design language.
So, we presume that, in such a crazy scenario, the joint venture of the two companies would extend to internal combustion cars, where the popular muscle car, shares the chassis, engine and more.
2024 Honda Prelude ZL1 Engine
So, such a design approach leads to the scenario where the new 2024 Honda Prelude ZL1 would come with GM’s well-known 6.2-liter Supercharged V8 engine, which puts out around 650 horsepower. With such an output, this would be the most powerful Prelude ever made.
Alternately, Honda could rely on its proven and super-refined technology. For example, we could see a well-known 3.0-liter twin-turbo, which would probably come coupled with electric motors, in a setup that’s quite similar to the system that powers the NSX, for example.
Prelude EV
Although the previous paragraphs sound amazing, the actual chance to see such a scenario is minimal. Instead, we believe that if Honda is about to resurrect the legendary nameplate, that would certainly happen in the form of an electric car.
So, one of the new all-electric models would use the good-old nameplate to boost sales. Logically, we would expect to see some kind of an all-electric sports car, maybe even in a coupe layout. Still, don’t forget that we are living in the era of SUVs and crossovers, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the new 2024 Honda Prelude ZL1 in such a form.
In any case, we already got several reports that the Prelude will come back and that will probably happen in 2028. By that time, Honda will finish its development of EV technology, so it wouldn’t use Ultium technology. More details are expected soon.