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Honda once sold a Prelude that steered all four wheels with no computer, no sensors and no electric motor, just a shaft and a gearbox. This 1989 Honda Prelude Si 4WS still has that system, and it is live at no reserve on Cars & Bids. Bidding sits at $2,600 with six bids as of Thursday afternoon, and the auction ends Tuesday, November 3, at 2:45 p.m. ET.
What Honda's Mechanical 4WS Actually Did
The setup was entirely mechanical. A shaft ran from the front steering rack back to a small steering gearbox at the rear axle, and that gearbox moved tie rods to turn the rear wheels. At small steering angles the rear wheels turned the same direction as the fronts, up to roughly 1.5 degrees, which was meant to calm lane changes and sweeping corners. Keep turning the wheel and the effect faded to zero, then reversed, with the rears steering against the fronts by as much as 5.3 degrees. Those figures are as reported by Curbside Classic, which puts the payoff at about a meter shaved off the turning circle in parking lots and U-turns.
Why Honda Put It on a Mainstream Coupe
The third-generation Prelude arrived with a very low hood line and sophisticated suspension, and four-wheel steering was the late-1980s gadget of the day. Mazda was selling a 626 with its own 4WS around the same time. In the United States, Honda sold the Prelude Si 4WS as a separate sub-model, and the option added roughly $1,300 to $1,500 depending on which source you trust. U.S. cars could not be ordered with both 4WS and anti-lock brakes. Our 1958 Edsel Teletouch Drive story and this week's Toyota Century with dual touchscreens cover similar ground: automakers loved selling a clever idea long before buyers knew whether they wanted it.
Why It Faded
Magazine testers often struggled to feel a difference, and in a blind comparison drivers guessed wrong about which car had 4WS. Car and Driver found it slightly quicker in some dry-pavement tests but a bit slower on wet pavement. It also added maintenance headaches: alignments need a special tool to lock the rear wheels, and neglected alignments chew tires. Honda moved to an electrically driven Super 4WS on the next-generation Prelude, but American buyers rarely ordered it, and U.S. imports of 4WS Preludes ended after that generation. Japan kept offering it one generation longer. Four-wheel steering has since come back through electronics, with rear-axle steering now offered by Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, among others.
The Car Behind the Option
This one is finished in Barbados Yellow over a black interior, with a B20A5 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 135 horsepower and 127 lb-ft of torque through a five-speed manual. The seller lists a mechanical four-wheel steering system among the equipment, alongside 14-inch wheels, pop-up headlights, a power sunroof, front sport seats and cruise control. The only modification is a JVC CD head unit.
The seller is the fifth owner in 37 years and bought the car in 2020 planning to restore it as an anniversary gift for the seller's wife. The car spent its first 27 years in the desert Southwest and Texas, has a clean Carfax, and had a new timing belt, clutch, slave cylinder and CV axles before the project started. The seller says parts have been hard to find (a windshield took more than two years). The plan changed when the seller's wife said she wanted a car with ABS and airbags, so the Prelude is being passed along with no reserve.
What to Check Before You Bid
The odometer reads about 330,000 miles, but the speedometer and odometer are not working because of a faulty cable, so the car is listed as true mileage unknown. The seller also notes a dent in the driver-side rocker panel, peeling clear coat on the roof, trunk lid and spoiler, oxidized wheels, interior wear and some corrosion on the rocker, trunk floor and underbody. The A/C needs service, and the struts and speedometer cable are due. Ask for photos of the rear steering gearbox and shaft, and ask the seller to confirm the rear wheels move when the steering is turned lock to lock. Budget for tires and a proper alignment.
Why It Belongs on Your Watch List
It is a project with miles and flaws, but you rarely see a mainstream Honda carrying one of the stranger pieces of hardware from its era. At $2,600 and no reserve, the entry price is low. Nissan chased the same tech-forward spirit in the same years, as in our look at a forgotten 1986 Nissan 300ZX Turbo. Honda is also reviving the nameplate, which we covered when a legendary tuner began early work on a new Prelude. If you want an affordable way into a forgotten corner of Honda history, this one ends Tuesday.
