I was idly ploughing through the thick soup of SLR drainings that I call my 'dump' file when I chanced upon this rather handsome Honda - which I tragically took too few shots of to make into a proper feature. But isn't it lovely?
It then occurred to me - I'm pretty sure there's never been an unattractive Honda Accord; not in the UK, anyway. The three-door first generation car shown above has a rakish coupe attitude; having miraculously escaped looking like the over-inflated Civic that it really is. The next generation was basically Cortina-shaped, but had a certain razor-edged charm that made it look technical and interesting. Then came the wedge shaped late eighties version; all low bonnet line and swept-back headlights.
Though I'm jealous that we didn't get it with pop-up headlights.
You could say that the early 'nineties edition was the blandest - this was the shape that was probably Honda's greatest global hit, popular on both sides of the Atlantic and therefore styled in such a way as it would appeal everywhere. Or rather, not offend anybody. Like watered-down prime time TV. Yet even that version had a little style to it, with its raised tail and slim headlights.
Then came the fifth generation; or the version that Europe got, and I mainly remember this from British Touring Car Championship races where, I believe, it was the best looking car on track - even better than the insane Volvo 850s and the all-dominating Audi A4. It also tail-lights that to this day still remind me of those on the back of a 'bathtub' Chevy Caprice - even though they bear hardly any resemblance.
The slightly angular mid-2000s one was another looker, but to be honest, from then on the Accord became a bit of a blur. I don't recall ever being repulsed by one.
That said, I don't specifically recall ever seeing any, either. Sometimes invisibility is worse than being offensive.
(Images copyright Chris Haining 2016)
