philosophy when it made its appearance in late '91, and it still stands out from the

crowd today.

The low nose, low roof, high tail and wide stance give this car an exceptionally

aggressive appearance.

The Prelude is about average in size compared to the other leaders in this class--a tad

smaller than the Ford Probe, a little bigger than the Talon/Eclipse.

Unchanged for '96, three versions are offered, with incremental jumps in performance

for each.

The basic S model, with a base price of $19,960, offers Prelude style with a milder

level of suspension tuning and relatively modest power from a 2.2-liter single

overhead cam 16-valve 4-cylinder engine.

The $22,655 Si offers 160 hp from a 2.3-liter twincam 16-valve 4-cyl., and a more

aggressive suspension setup plus better brakes. Although it's not the fastest of the

Preludes, some members of the racing fraternity think the Si offers the best balance

of the trio.

However, the $25,880 Prelude VTEC is definitely the tiger of the family. The 2.2-liter

VTEC (for Variable valve Timing and lift Electronic Control) 4-cyl. belts out 190 hp,

and bigger brakes provide extra stopping power.

All the Preludes have the advantage of Honda's double wishbone suspension at all four

corners--which is more sophisticated than the more common MacPherson strut setup--and

all benefit from an exceptionally stiff unitbody, the fundamental cornerstone of good

handling.

Honda markets the Preludes as packages, starting with the well-equipped base car and

building to the better equipped VTEC edition.

A standard Prelude includes an AM/FM/cassette stereo, power mirrors and windows, a

power sunroof, power antenna, cruise control and split-folding rear seatbacks.

The Si adds alloy wheels, antilock brakes, air conditioning and power locks. Stepping

up to the extra muscle of the VTEC also gets you leather interior trim, map lights and

a rear spoiler.

A 5-speed manual transmission is standard equipment on all models. Opting for a

4-speed automatic transmission adds $800 to the S and Si. Owing to its peaky power

traits, the VTEC is offered only with a close-ratio version of the manual

transmission.