Fast & light - the Honda CR-X Story

Big Car

When Europe produced hot hatches in the 80s it was cars like the Renault 5 Turbo and the Ford Fiesta XR2 – great cars that took the regular hatchback and added more power and better brakes. Over in Japan Honda took a different tack. They crafted a new, very low drag shape for the existing Civic. They also removed a lot of weight. Together with a range of powerful yet efficient range of engines they created a car with great handling, acceleration, and fuel economy that had more in common with the MG Midget than the MG Metro. Some car journalists heralded it as the future of compact sports cars. So, was the Honda CR-X God’s gift to small hatchbacks or did it have its flaws, and what the heck happened with the third generation car?