Honda’s founder, Soichiro Honda, always had a passion for automobiles. Honda worked as a mechanic at the Art Shokai garage, where he would repurpose regular cars for races. In 1941, Honda was mass-producing piston rings for Toyota. Five years later, in 1946, Honda founded the Honda Technical Research Institute and had a staff of twelve men working in a shack to build and sell motorcycles. The Honda A-Type was released, nicknamed “Bata Bata” for the sound the engine made. The Honda Technical Research Institute was liquidated for what would be considered $5,000 today, and Honda used the money to incorporate Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Honda hired engineer Takeo Fujisawa and formed a partnership that would last for decades.
Honda Motor Co.’s first motorcycle, the D-Type (or Dream), was released in 1949. Honda achieved its first racing victories in 1961, and by 1964, the company was the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles. In August 1963, Honda released its first automobile, the T360 mini pickup truck. Over the next two decades, Honda expanded its product line and became increasingly popular around the world. In 1974, the Honda Civic was released, which contained a groundbreaking CVCC engine that passed the standards of the United States Clean Air Act without the use of a catalytic converter. The successful Acura brand was released in 1986 to the American market and solidified Honda’s place in the luxury car world. Our Reliable technicians have been repairing Hondas since 1998, and we can fix your vehicle right up, no matter which Honda model you own.
