INTRODUCTION
The Acura Legend Coupe is an exclusive personal luxury car
which
incorporates Honda Motor Co., Ltd.'s latest technology and is
built
to the highest quality standards. It is the flagship of the Acura
Division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
The Acura Division is entirely separate from the Honda Automobile Division and has its own dealer network, sales, parts, service and support system. The first Acura dealerships opened on March 27, 1986 and by year's end there were 150 dealers nationwide; by the end of 1987, the Acura Division will be expanded to 300 dealerships. In its first nine months of operation, calendar year 1986, the Acura Division had sales of 52,869 units, including 25,062 Legends and 27,807 Integras. The projection for 1987 is 105-115,000 units.
The Legend Coupe is positioned to compete against the finest European automobiles, including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo and Saab, in every category from performance and elegance to value and reliability.
It's a car designed and engineered for intelligent drivers who demand excellent all-around performance and handling, and expect a high degree of comfort and convenience. As a 2-door coupe, it occupies a unique place in a segment of an upscale market dominated by 4-door sedans. It also expands the Acura line, which includes the Legend 4-Door Sedan, and Integra 3-Door and 5-Door Sedans introduced last year.
The Legend Coupe offers performance, luxury and distinctive aerodynamic styling. With an innovative "thin pillar" design, sharply angled windshield and rear window, and smooth body surfaces, the Coupe registers a low 0.30 coefficient of drag in the wind tunnel.
It is powered by a 161 horsepower, 2.7 liter, SOHC, 24-valve V-6 fuel-injected engine that uses an innovative Variable Intake Control System which improves low- and mid-range response with no undesirable effect on economy or top end performance. A new dual-mode electronically controlled 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission is also available. The front-wheel drive Coupe uses equal-length halfshafts, speed-sensitive power assisted rack-and-pinion steering, and independent double wishbone suspension front and rear.
There are three versions of the Legend Coupe: standard version, L, and LS. (The LS Coupe will be introduced in late spring of 1987.) All are basically identical and are equipped with a complete range of standard features, from a power-operated sunroof to 4-wheel disc brakes.
The L and LS versions add Honda's new, advanced Anti-Lock Braking (ALB) system, leather upholstery, computerized trip and vehicle function Information Center, Automatic Climate Control and Security System.
The ALB system incorporates two hydraulic circuits and a central computer to prevent lock-up of any wheel while braking in emergencies or on slippery roads, helping the driver to maintain stability and steering control.
The LS version also has a Honda-designed Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) with driver's side air bag, and an audiophile BOSE@ stereo system specially designed for the Legend Coupe.
Designed primarily for the American market, the Legend Coupe's development process began shortly after that of the Legend Sedan. While it shares some of the Sedan's design cues, it is a completely different vehicle, with no interchangeable body panels and only a few common suspension, driveline and structural components.
The Coupe joins the Legend 4-Door Sedan and sporty Integra 3-Door and 5-Door Sedans in the Acura lineup. The Legend Sedan is a comprehensively equipped luxury touring sedan powered by a 2.5 liter, SOHC, 24-valve, fuel-injected V-6 engine; the Integras are sports sedans which combine the power of a 1.6 liter, 16-valve, DOHC engine with hatchback versatility. In its first year of competition an Integra coupe, driven by Doug Peterson, won the IMSA Champion Spark Plug Challenge Drivers' Championship.