ACURA Legend 1986-1991 Photos, engines & full specs

Honda took a decisive step to create a premium brand for the American car market, and one of the first products was the 1986 Legend sports sedan.

The Japanese automakers were not allowed to export as many cars as they wished in the U.S., so Honda found a way to profit more from its vehicles: selling them as a premium brand with a higher margin. That's how the Acura brand was created, and the automaker scored big with the Legend.

Designed as a four-door sedan but with a few sporty touches, the Legend wasn't the regular Accord the Americans already knew. Instead, its design was bold, with squared headlights and flared fenders that gave the car a sportier look. In addition, by placing double-wishbone suspension up front, Honda was able to create a lower hood line. Furthermore, the automaker added a few chromed lines along the bodywork and around the grille, giving the car a stylish look. Strangely, though, there was no badge on the grille.

Thanks to its long wheelbase, the car's interior was fit for five adults. Here, the automaker used higher-grade materials, so customers could feel better why this Legend was not exactly a regular Honda product and why it was much more expensive than an Accord. The Legend featured power windows and locks, power sunroof, a stereo cassette player with equalizer, cruise control, and tilt steering wheel.

Power came from a 2.5-liter V6 with four valves per cylinder. For that time, this was a major technological achievement. The oomph went to the front wheels via a four-speed automatic or a five-speed manual.