Mugen Has Already Got Its Hands On The New Honda Prelude

The new Honda Prelude goes on sale in its home market of Japan quite literally today, which means the emergence of a set of Mugen accessories for it might set some kind of record for a car getting aftermarket parts.

Of course, it helps that, despite the two companies never being officially aligned, they’ve always enjoyed a very close relationship (Mugen was co-founded by Hirotoshi Honda, son of Honda founder Soichiro).

It looks like it might be a while before we see the new hybrid Prelude transformed into a proper performance beast too. The only bits listed under the ‘Performance’ category are an oil filter, high-pressure radiator cap and some sportier engine oil, all aimed at lightly optimising the existing performance of the 2.0-litre four-pot engine.

There’s also a new set of performance dampers available, as well as some forged 19-inch BBS wheels, which, as well as shedding around 16kg of unsprung weight, lend the little Prelude some welcome visual aggression. There’s a set of beefed up brake pads and high-performance brake fluid available, too, which is pretty much where the parts that make any tangible difference to the way the Prelude will drive end.

Nearly everything else is purely cosmetic, including some carbon fibre trim pieces, decals and Mugen-branded floormats and scuff plates.

However, you can’t miss that the car in these pictures is wearing a bodykit that lends it a bit more of a baby touring car vibe. These bits, consisting of a front splitter, side skirts, rear diffuser and boot spoiler, are under development and are set to launch early next year. Joining them will be a sports exhaust which, given that the Prelude is turbocharger-free, could unlock a pleasantly old-school four-pot rasp from the engine if done right.

As much as we’re excited to have a new affordable coupe on the market, we’re not necessarily expecting the Prelude to be a non-stop thrill ride at launch. Hopefully, these parts are the first step towards turning it into a proper performance car, whether that comes from the aftermarket or Honda itself.