I did a double take when I saw this car pop up in our Autoblog Slack channel. Is Honda selling its factory fresh 1999 Prelude Type SH? No, Honda isn’t. But somebody in New Jersey is selling one that is identical to the museum piece I covered last year in a retro first drive review.
When I say identical, I mean it, too. Crystal Blue Metallic? Check. Model year 1999? Check. Type SH? Check. Completely stock with nary a flaw to be found? Also check. The only real difference is in the number of miles on this car for sale. It’s currently sitting at 28,700 miles, whereas the Prelude Type SH I drove only had 2,400 miles. Either way, they’re basically brand new 22-year-old cars, but you can actually buy this one currently up for auction on Cars and Bids.
Honda updated the Prelude for the 1999 model year, adding both power and massaged styling. Its 2.2-liter four-cylinder (with VTEC!) makes 200 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque. You could get an automatic, but the one you want is this five-speed manual. This being the Type SH, it also has Honda’s genius ATTS torque vectoring system that counteracts understeer in this front-drive car. And those specs and features are great, but I can offer you a little more of the driving experience by quoting esteemed automotive expert, me.
