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Difference between revisions of "Soaring in the '70s (Honda)"
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Honda was at the same time expanding its automotive efforts, and exploring the idea of producing some of its products in the United States. What's more, a fascinating struggle began to take shape within the company, one that would redirect design and unlock new possibilities for a long time to come. Mr. Honda strongly believed innovative engineering could produce air-cooled auto engines as good as or better than the liquid-cooled competition, so 1960s Honda cars as well as bikes were air-cooled. But Honda's younger engineers strongly favored liquid cooling, both for performance and market appeal. Mr. Honda initially resisted, but after a showdown with company vice president Takeo Fujisawa, he eventually accepted [[liquid cooling]] as the key to future development. | Honda was at the same time expanding its automotive efforts, and exploring the idea of producing some of its products in the United States. What's more, a fascinating struggle began to take shape within the company, one that would redirect design and unlock new possibilities for a long time to come. Mr. Honda strongly believed innovative engineering could produce air-cooled auto engines as good as or better than the liquid-cooled competition, so 1960s Honda cars as well as bikes were air-cooled. But Honda's younger engineers strongly favored liquid cooling, both for performance and market appeal. Mr. Honda initially resisted, but after a showdown with company vice president Takeo Fujisawa, he eventually accepted [[liquid cooling]] as the key to future development. | ||
Honda's new liquid-cooled direction led first to the CVCC clean-burn auto engine, introduced at the 1972 Tokyo show. This was the first production auto engine to meet the 1975 EPA standard without a catalytic converter, and it demonstrated Honda's research capability to the world. The '''Honda Civic''' auto, with this and other liquid-cooled engines, immediately became popular in the U.S. | Honda's new liquid-cooled direction led first to the CVCC clean-burn auto engine, introduced at the 1972 Tokyo show. This was the first production auto engine to meet the 1975 EPA standard without a [[catalytic converter]], and it demonstrated Honda's research capability to the world. The '''Honda Civic''' auto, with this and other liquid-cooled engines, immediately became popular in the U.S. | ||
Such thinking and research led to the creation of yet another new market segment--though not even Honda knew it at the time. The 1975 [[Honda GL1000|GL™1000 Gold Wing®]] was Honda's first thorough synthesis of automotive and motorcycle technologies. The temperature stability of liquid cooling allowed the GL to develop high power, yet lose none of Honda's customary reliability. [[:Category:Honda GL series|Gold Wing]] engineers had envisioned it as the ultimate performance bike, combining 1000cc power with flat-four smoothness and liquid-cooled silence. Indeed, the Gold Wing posted the quickest quarter-mile of its day, but buyers saw its greatest value as a long-distance machine. In a unique partnership with Gold Wing owners, the GL created a whole new category of motorcycle: the dedicated touring bike. Its evolution continues to this day. | Such thinking and research led to the creation of yet another new market segment--though not even Honda knew it at the time. The 1975 [[Honda GL1000|GL™1000 Gold Wing®]] was Honda's first thorough synthesis of automotive and motorcycle technologies. The temperature stability of liquid cooling allowed the GL to develop high power, yet lose none of Honda's customary reliability. [[:Category:Honda GL series|Gold Wing]] engineers had envisioned it as the ultimate performance bike, combining 1000cc power with flat-four smoothness and liquid-cooled silence. Indeed, the Gold Wing posted the quickest quarter-mile of its day, but buyers saw its greatest value as a long-distance machine. In a unique partnership with Gold Wing owners, the GL created a whole new category of motorcycle: the dedicated touring bike. Its evolution continues to this day. | ||