Why does a young man love a Honda ‘Legend’ older than him?
The “Neo-Classic Honda Meeting 2023” took place on Friday 3 November 2023 in Fukuoka Prefecture. Among the participating vehicles, a Honda Legend with Yokohama number was spotted. The elegance of Honda’s top-of-the-range cars overflowed from the beautifully polished body. The owner of this precious third-generation Legend, which was left in its original style, was a young man still in his early 20s.
Reproduction of my grandfather’s beloved car that he owned for 20 years
The Legend with Yokohama license plates was in a very beautiful condition and attracted a lot of attention from visitors. The owner, Mr. Ryohei Ito, was 23 years old (at the time of the interview), born in February 2000, three years younger than his beloved car, born in 1997.
“My grandfather drove this Legend in the Exclusive grade. He already owned it when I was born. He used to come to my house and take me on trips to Hakone, so I have a lot of memories of my grandfather in that car.”
The grandfather, now 87, gave up his license eight years ago. The last car in his life was replaced by a Honda Grace, but the early model of the Legend (3rd generation KA9), which he owned for almost 20 years, was his grandfather’s car for Mr. Ito.
“I can’t drive it myself, but this time I wanted to get that car and take my grandfather back to his memories. That’s why I’ve been looking for this unit.”
Recreating a memorable car began with restoring it to stock
He began his search for a Legend using a used car sales website, but there were only two cars listed on the site. He was interested in one sold in Aichi Prefecture and went to check out the actual car.
“It was lowered and the wheels were external. The genuine grille was also painted black. However, the mileage was around 40,000 kilometers, and both the interior and exterior were clean. I thought it would be worth checking out the car, so I went to see it.”
As a result, it turned out that the car was a two-owner vehicle. Moreover, the first owner had kept it in a garage for 26 years and only used it when he went golfing. The second owner then had the above-mentioned customization done, but that owner decided to give it away after six months. When it was put up for sale as a used car, it caught Mr. Ito’s eye.
“The down suspension was fitted and the grille was a different color, but the factory parts before those replacements were well stored. I was determined to drive it as genuine, so the fact that the parts were still there was also a deciding factor.”
And finally, the Legend became his car, and every part of it was reworked. The car he bought was a Euro model, so he changed it to the exclusive specification that his grandfather had been driving. For example, the interior is now fitted with real camphor wood grain panels. The power reclining switches on the rear seats were also transplanted, just to get a feel for the car. The wheels were purchased for the first half of the Exclusive model year. Thus, according to Mr. Ito, the “Grandpa Respect Specification” was completed.
He has returned his license, but he still carries his energetic grandfather in the passenger seat of the Legend to stay at an inn in Hakone, which holds fond memories of his childhood. It was an expression of his love to cherish the memories of his grandfather forever.
translated by DeepL
