ACCORD 2ND GEN

About the Accord 2nd Gen

The second-gen Accord arrived in 1981 and Honda was still building small. The 1.8-liter ES engine made 75 hp, modest even for the early '80s, but the car weighed barely over 900 kg so it felt adequate. Hatchback and sedan body styles, both compact and efficient. The five-speed manual was the transmission to have, precise and light in a way that Honda was perfecting. The interior was assembled with a care that domestic manufacturers couldn't match at the price. Honda added power steering and air conditioning as options, features that were expected in American sedans but novel in an import this size. The second-gen Accord started Honda's assault on the mid-size sedan market. Small, efficient, well-built, and priced to move. The formula that would dominate the '90s started here.