Honda: Portrait of An Automotive Icon

From a humble shack in war-torn Japan to a global industrial powerhouse, this book chronicles the remarkable journey of Honda, a company built on the power of a dream. At its heart is the story of two men: the passionate, intuitive engineering genius Soichiro Honda, and his coolly brilliant business partner, Takeo Fujisawa. Together, they forged an unbreakable partnership that transformed a simple idea-a motor strapped to a bicycle-into a worldwide symbol of innovation and reliability. Discover Honda's origins in the "Bata Bata" clip-on engine, the creation of its first true motorcycle, the "Dream" D-Type, and the audacious decision to challenge the world's best at the treacherous Isle of Man TT races, a victory that would redefine the perception of Japanese engineering forever.

Follow Honda's defiant leap from two wheels to four as it challenged the Japanese government to create its first cars, the T360 and S500. Witness the birth of a global phenomenon with the arrival of the Honda Civic. Armed with the revolutionary CVCC engine, the Civic was the perfect car for an energy-conscious world, establishing Honda's reputation for quality and efficiency in America. Learn how the company built on this success with the Accord, which set a new standard for the family sedan and became one of the best-selling cars of all time. This is the story of how a small company with big ideas not only mobilized Japan but changed the way the world drove.

Explore the fascinating dual personality of Honda, a company that produced millions of sensible family cars while simultaneously creating some of the most revered performance machines of their eras. Delve into the development of icons like the technology-packed Prelude, the lightweight CRX, and the game-changing VTEC engine that gave a single engine two distinct souls. Experience the audacious launch of the Acura luxury brand with the Legend and Integra, and feel the shockwave sent through the automotive world by the arrival of the NSX, Japan's first supercar, a machine that proved an exotic could be both thrilling and reliable.

The story of Honda soars beyond the road, chronicling the company's ambitious ventures into humanoid robotics with the world-famous ASIMO and into the skies with the creation of the revolutionary HondaJet. This comprehensive history charts every milestone, from dominating the Formula One circuit to redefining the SUV with the CR-V and the minivan with the Odyssey. Bringing the narrative to the present day, it explores the company's transition to the modern powertrain era with Earth Dreams Technology and its bold, multi-pronged strategy for an all-electric future, proving that even after more than 75 years, the company's trajectory is still guided by "The Power of Dreams."