Mugen Strikes First with a Prelude Makeover
Honda barely had time to roll out its reborn Prelude before Mugen stepped in with a tuning kit that does far more than decorate. It signals exactly where this story is headed.
Honda only just lifted the curtain on its all-new Prelude, yet the brand’s long-time ally Mugen clearly had the date circled long ago. No surprise, then, that the first complete upgrade package was ready almost immediately. And it is more than a styling exercise: the Prelude gets a sharper edge, a leaner body and a clear suggestion of sportier things to come, all before anyone has touched what sits under the bonnet.
At first glance the package looks like a visual spruce-up: carbon fibre front spoiler, side skirts, a rear diffuser and a discreet lip that hints at a wing. But each piece is part of a careful effort to trim weight and refine aerodynamics. The lightweight 19-inch BBS wheels alone cut four kilos off the scales, and that kind of reduction is about more than looks. It is about tightening responses and giving the chassis a cleaner conversation with the road.
On the technical side, Mugen is offering sportier dampers, more aggressive brake pads and even a dedicated exhaust system that allows the Prelude’s hybrid voice to sound with a little more authority. It is the sort of groundwork that sharpens dynamics before rival tuners have even begun thinking about unlocking the powertrain.
Prices, for now, are available only in fragments. In Japan, the wheels are listed at around 176,000 yen, dampers at 143,000, and mirror covers at 110,000. Not cheap, but then proper tuning never pretends to be. For Prelude fans, it is simply the cost of admission to a sharper, more focused future.
