|
This prelude belonging to Marsha Hanners has seen its share of ups and downs, but the '97 Lude is back on top. Marsha is no stranger to the show scene, for she is Robbie Hughes companion at the car shows as well as at the shop. Marsha tired of driving the parts truck, and since she didn't want to add wear and tear on the Yellow Integra, she decided it was time for a new ride. What do you do when your partner is one of the finest paint and body men around? Naturally, you get him to build you up a project car! But where do you look for that perfect car to start with? A used car, yes, but the process of finding that particular car could take forever. If a project is what you desire, why not go all out - "Let's go to the junkyard!", or as some would say, the salvage depository. Yes, this Prelude was obtained from salvage; it was totaled by the insurance agency. Only Robbie Hughes could pull this one off. Go out purchase a totaled wreck, and not just bring it back, but elevate it to show car winning status. Robbie tells me that the 'Lude was totaled due to the fact that the roof line was bent and folded, as well as having severe damage to the inner unibody, floor pan, and dash. The Street Tuners staff saw the 'Lude as Robbie was removing the interior. He straightened out the unibody and installed new components , such as a hood, fender, grill, dash, and the front running gear. After a clean bill of health from the state inspector, the Prelude went to Nopi Nationals 2000 to compete in the '97-up conservative class, and came in a strong 3rd. This is astounding since Robbie told me that in-all he estimates he spent only one month's solid working time on the red beauty. This is no ordinary Prelude SH; someone apparently ordered options from the factory which include the Honda Ground effects kit. These are the rear underbody skirt and side skirts. Inside are leather seats with a special red stitching, an optional gear shift knob and boot, also from the Honda optional equipment department. Momo pedals were added to bring the interior into focus. Someone will miss their special Prelude, but Marsha tells Street Tuners that she will take good care of it - especially since the car was bought for a steal, and that all the goodies that have been added are paid for. Who could argue with this deal? An almost new Prelude SH with bolt-ons aplenty, and no car payment! Take notes, get on the Internet, watch your local salvage yard, and search for surprises like this Prelude. But keep one important thing to keep in mind - Robbie with his brought this beast back to life with his skills, but Robbie's kind of talent is special, and finding someone of his caliber will be more of a challenge than fixing any salvaged car. The Racing Hart C5's with the new Yokahama Prada's set the tone for the aggressive show stance, which is complimented with Weapon R coilovers and KYB struts. The front fascia is a Wings West Aggressor 2 unit. A Commando rear wing keeps the rear planted firmly on tera-firma. The "Sand Marino Red" paint was sprayed over the new skin, and shows remarkable craftsmanship - better even than factory standards. No flaws seen here, just deep red beauty. Robbie took the extra effort and sprayed the valve cover, and decided that the new AEM Cold Air Intake needed a color adjustment also. Other notable engine compartment enhancements include STR dress-up goodies, oil filler cap, dip stick, battery tie down, and ignition wire cover. Adding to the handling department, Marsha chose the Nuespeed chrome strut bar. And expelling those spent gases through a Nuespeed header with a Tsudo Exhaust system should give the 2.2 liter better breathing capabilities. Preludes are special cars, not really fitting into the Honda lineup very well. But when you see a beauty such as this '97 model we all hope that Honda will keep producing the "Big Motor Beast". |
