The Honda Accord Generations

Do you have a Honda Accord? If so which Generation do you have?

Do you think of the Honda Accord generation of your car? When I think of cars I usually picture a particular brand, model and year. for example, the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California SWB Spyder which sold on May 18, 2008 for a record $10,994,400 at R.M. auctions. Or how about the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, with 638 horsepower priced at $103,000 which may be the best value for the money sports car in the world. Or even the new 2009 Mini John Cooper Works which might be the most fun you can have for $29,200.

However when we think of automobiles like the Accord a specific model and year do not come to mind as much as which generation is it? That's right, which generation of Accord ? We think of a particular generation for changes in the Accord.

As you may know 1976 was the first year of the Accord, and appropriately this was the start of the first generation, which lasted until 1981. 2008 introduced the eighth generation of the Accord.

Wow! Eight generation of Accord in 32 years or on average a new Accord generation every four years. So it might be until 2012 when we see the ninth generation of the Accord.

So what is significant about each Accord Generation?

First Generation (1976-1981). A three door Accord hatchback with 68 brake horsepower (BPH) and finishing with an Accord three speed automatic or an Accord five speed manual. A milestone Accord generation.

Second Generation ( 1981-1985) Honda opened it's first American Accord manufacturing plant in Marysville, Ohio. The last Accord of this generation was the Accord Special Edition, SE-1 with a fuel injected 110 bph engine.

Third Generation (1986-1989). This Accord generation started with a new body design that resembled the Prelude. The final Accord mode was now up to 120 bhp, and the Accord coupe was the first model to be produced in the United States and exported back to Japan.

Fourth Generation (1990-1993). As you can see each generation is getting shorter. In this generation the Accord was larger and heavier and resembled the Accura Legend. Power was up to 140 bhp, and the first Accord wagon was introduced towards the end of the generation.

Fifth Generation (1994-1997). The Accord grew in width, but shrunk in length. During this generation in 1995 the first Accord V6 engine was introduced.

Sixth Generation (1998-2002). The American Accord in this generation was now only available in sedans and coupes. Many more Accord models were available in both Japan and Europe.

Seventh Generation (2003-2007). The American models again grew in size, and in 2004 the first Accord hybrid model was introduced.

Eighth Generation (2008-present) The latest generation of Acccords dropped the hybrid models, relegating them to smaller models. Size again increased by 4 inches in length and 3 inches in width for the U.S. models.

About the Author

Dennis has been interested in cars and especially sports cars since he drove a MG TD to high school. He is opening a web site that will sell Honda Accord aftermarket parts. Visit him at Accord Parts. Or learn more about him at his blog: http://accordmania.blogspot.com