![]() ![]() When the Legend was introduced worldwide, the optional equipment list was minimal as commonly identified equipment regarded as luxury in nature was included as standard equipment, leaving the only option the choice between a manual or automatic transmission. In 1981, Honda had introduced a luxury level version of the Accord, called the Honda Vigor, but realized that they needed to manufacture a larger, more exclusive sedan with similar dimensions to the Crown, Luce, Cedric and Gloria. ![]() Honda wanted to expand its model range above the Honda Accord, and offer a premium level sedan that would appeal to wealthy middle-aged customers who were the traditional buyers of the Toyota Crown, Mazda Luce and Nissan Cedric/ Gloria. All US-market Legends were built in Japan. In the end, only 4,409 Legends were built in the UK, from 1986 until 1988. However, few UK built Legends passed Honda's quality control standards, and many simply ended up being used as in-plant transport. Honda and British Leyland/Rover agreed that Legends would be built at Cowley for the British market. ![]() Design work concluded on the Legend in 1982, with a design patent being filed on September 27, 1982, at the Japan Patent Office under application number 1982-043493 and registered on September 19, 1984, under patent number 0640105. The development work was carried out at Rover's Canley, Coventry plant and Honda's Tochigi Prefecture development centre. ![]() Rover also wanted to return to the American market when previously they had reportedly sold only 1,500 cars in 1971, and a brief return in 1980, selling 800 Rover SD1s by offering the Sterling which was also a result of the ARG-Honda partnership. The Rover Company had a long established reputation as a luxury car maker in the United Kingdom and Europe, demonstrated with the Rover P5 and Rover P6, and Honda wanted to introduce a luxury car for the Japanese, European and North American markets. The Legend was the result of a joint venture with Britain's Austin Rover Group called Project XX that started in November 1981 with the Austin Rover-Honda XX letter of intent signed by the two companies to replace the Rover SD1 and to provide a luxury vehicle for Honda, and was codenamed as HX. The introduction of the Legend also coincided with the launch of a new dealership sales channel in Japan, called Honda Clio.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |