First produced in 1984 and introduced as a lightweight sport hatchback, the Honda CRX finished the year as Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year—harbinger of things to come since Road & Track named it one of the Top Ten Cars of the Eighties after repeatedly being named to the "Ten Best Cars in the World" list. Car and Driver heaped praise calling it "the definitive entry-level sports car." High praise, indeed!
The first generation CRX was sold outside Japan as the Honda Civic CRX and two distinct body style generations emerged under the CRX moniker—what purists widely consider the third-generation CRX was marketed as the Honda del Sol. Last produced in 1991, the CRX groupies dispute the meaning of the acronym. Some favor it as the "Civic Renaissance Model X" with others claiming "Civic Racing Experiment" as the meaning. Whatever the meaning, the car became wildly popular, hugely successful, fun to drive, and maintains a loyal following of used car aficionados ready to step in and restore older CRX cars to their prior glory. The cult car of the 80's—maybe not as much as the American Motors Pacer, but certainly a lot more stylish to be seen in.
With room for only two passengers, the original CRX followed the roadster formula. Later models were introduced overseas with a larger, more powerful 130 hp engine and a two plus two seat format but the domestic versions maintained the dual bucket-seat styling typical of small roadsters from Europe. When performance mattered, the SI version typical of the sporty Civic siblings was introduced with a 1590cc engine to outgun the previous 1.3 liter motor. That original 1.3 liter car was introduced with a rated 51 mpg city mpg and an incredible 60 mpg on the highway—better than most hybrids today.
Classics are classics and the CRX is destined to remain a cult classic car despite its many weaknesses (the CRX has been rated "significantly worse than average" at protecting driver and passenger in the event of a crash) but unless you're planning an entry in the Demolition Derby at your local county fair, no one buys a used car with the expectation of a crash. Collectors and fans will drive cautiously and enjoy the ride. If you fancy yourself like them, you can find your CRX for sale near you by clicking here.
