The little Honda del Sol has always been overshadowed by its predecessor, the CR-X. Perhaps rightfully so, too. The del Sol gained as much as 300 pounds or so over the CR-X without a meaningful increase in power until later on it life when it was offered with the DOHC B16 engine. The del Sol was also less functional as it got rid of the hatch and the cargo space behind the seats. The vehicle therefore was not loved by enthusiasts as much as the CR-X but it did gain many new customers.
The one feature of the del Sol that was never offered in North America was the TransTop roof. Where we had to manually remove the targa-like top, customers in other parts of the world could have opted for the seemly complex TransTop. The mechanism would raise the trunk lid straight up and then deploy a set of grab arms to lift the tilted roof section and slide it under the lid. It’s pretty amazing to watch.
It would take Porsche more than twenty years to develop the 911 Carrara Targa which accomplished a similar maneuver.
By Kamil Kaluski
East Coast Editor. Races crappy cars and has an unhealthy obsession with Eastern Bloc cars. Current fleet: Ford Bronco, Lexus GX 470, and a Buick Regal crapcan racecar.
Ross Ballot
As useless as the new Miata Targa. But earlier!
That’s why I called it the “Dull Soulless”.
My flatmate’s then girlfriend had one of these. We spent an enjoyable few hours watching it go up and down and in and out till it decided to stop working, which we thought was unusual for a Honda. But the next day it worked fine again-maybe there are heat sensors in the motors, of which there are a few.