Honda has breathed new life into lost wedge-shaped supercar concept

  • Honda has revived its wedge-shaped supercar concept
  • Largely forgotten, it’s not been seen for 40 years
  • It’s making its comeback at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Published on Aug 01, 2024 at 7:29 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

Last updated on Aug 08, 2024 at 7:06 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

Honda has revived its forgotten and wedge-shaped supercar concept after 40 years.

The HP-X was the brand’s first modern concept car.

It’s being dusted off for this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

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Honda 1984 HP-X

Well before the most powerful production car, the Acura NSX Type S, Honda had a futuristic, wedge-shaped concept – the 1984 HP-X.

It was designed by Pininfarina and debuted at the 1984 Turin Motor Show.

For the period it was considered a groundbreaking ultra-aerodynamic and futuristic sports car.

The 1984 HP-X boasted a lightweight Kevlar and carbon fiber 2.0-liter V-6 engine.

This engine was derived from Honda’s Formula 2 race car.

It was the first to use ‘ground effects’ to create downforce and had a driver-controlled air brake.

Fast-forward to today

Sadly, the 1984 HP-X never happened and, five years later, the NSX came on the scene.

Now, 40 years later, the concept car is back on the main stage of this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on 18 August 2024.

Fully restored for the occasion, the 1984 HP-X will be the first Japanese car on the main event field in more than 50 years.

While the ‘Wedge-Shaped Concept and Prototypes Class’ is obscure – it’s a real triumph.

So has it had an upgrade for the class of 2024? No.

The Japanese brand kept the car as true to the original as possible via its faithful restoration.

The same two-tone white-and-navy-blue paint job with red accents looked very 1984.

Plus its red-and-white suede interior with a button-heavy center stack without doors is just as eighties.

It even retains the single-piece Perspex acrylic canopy complete with fighter-jet-esque hatch revealing its two-seat layout.

“The Honda HP-X Concept was the star of the 1984 Turin Auto Show, showcasing elements of engineering excellence and cutting-edge design, with extreme wedge-shape styling that continues to inspire future generations of car designers and engineers,” Acura design executive, Dave Marek said.

“The forward-thinking HP-X had an undeniable impact on the industry, highlighting our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in automotive design.”

In similar news, the Citroën Karin is probably the oddest supercar concept car that never made it.

Looking into the future, the 2026 Camaro supercar concept is a perfect blend of a Corvette and Camaro.

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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”