I have never fully understood the difference between the Prelude and the Honda Accord coupé. The first-generation Prelude was built on the first-generation Honda Accord platform, so why did the third-generation Accord re-introduce a coupé? The third-generation Accord also aligned with the design of the Prelude, CR-X and Integra, so they all featured pop-up headlights. This made it even more difficult to distinguish them from each other.

1986 Honda Accord coupé CA6
1986 Honda Accord coupé CA6

We’ll probably never know the true answer to why it was re-introduced, but let’s put the Prelude and the Accord coupé side by side and compare them.

PreludeAccord coupé
Length4,460 mm (175.6 in)4,564 mm (179.7 in)
Width1,709 mm (67.3 in)1,695 mm (67 in)
Height1,295 mm (51 in)1,336 mm (52.6 in)
Wheelbase2,565 mm (101 in)2,600 mm (102.4 in)

As you can see, the difference in dimensions is marginal. The Accord coupé is only 10 centimetres (4 inches) longer, 1.6 centimetres (0.3 inches) wider and 4 centimetres (1.6 inches) higher. The wheelbase is also almost equal.

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