The quote listed in the title is from Soichiro Honda. The man who started Honda as a motorcycle company. His first motorcycle used a water bottle as a gas tank, and was made in his garage. After seeing his first Model T he sniffed the oil left behind on the roadway, later saying that it "smelled like perfume". His love of cars was only surpassed by his love of racing.
That attitude, and Honda's commitment to racing is why I have owned nine of them. It is the reason that in a simple hatchback I can see perfection. It is the reason that I understand how Honda engineers think. They do not design for assembly, but for the opposite. They build components to last beyond normal wear and tare. Prior to computers reaching a superb level of accuracy they hand ported all of their high end engines. They race motorcycles, cars, and boats. The build jets, and robots. They develop new ways of doing, but more importantly new ways of thinking. I am fascinated with Honda as a company and as a culture.
With this in mind I have approached many of the Honda's I've owned with admiration, respect, and a plan. My plans have not always come to light though. Some cars were stolen, some cars were crashed, and some were just not with me at the right time. My latest project, and my 9th Honda is a 1991 Honda Civic Wagovan RT4WD. I have fallen back into the seat of another 4th gen, and feel right at home.
