Why is red color associated with a Honda car?

6 Apr

There are car brands that are closely tied to a particular color. In the case of Honda, it is red, being a tone that has accompanied it practically from the beginning and has been present in some of its most characteristic models. But not only that, in addition to being present in cars and motorcycles we have been able to see it in its logo or in its section dedicated to competition. Let’s go back to the origins of this relationship of the Japanese brand with color.

The first time red came to Honda was in 1952, just four years after its founding. Back then they were producing an auxiliary bicycle engine, the same that was later used by the legendary Honda Type-F Cub. The red engine with the white fuel tank attached to the rear axle was quite striking. In 1964 the marketing campaign “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” appears with the Super Cub motorcycle as the protagonist in its characteristic red color.

Although the truth is that it was not an easy way for Honda to keep red as the main tone. In 1963 the first tourism of the brand arrived, the Honda S500, and the founder Soichiro Honda believed that its launch had to be in this color. However, at that time in Japan, the color red was reserved for use by fire engines (such as white for ambulances). They had to fight to lift the restriction and be able to present it like that.

Also, at that time they were very focused on competition, specifically in Formula 1. The Honda RA271 was the first Japanese car to compete worldwide and it was mandatory that it wear the colors of its country of origin. So white was used as the main color and the Honda logo used red, similar to the Japanese flag. That was the turning point for using that color scheme in their production cars.

In parallel, Honda bikes were also competing (and winning) in various championships around the world. Almost all the motorcycles were painted in red, the most memorable being the RC166 with which Mike Hailwood won the world title in 1966. In the 1970s the color also expanded to the range of motocross motorcycles, linked to the CR and CRF which were also very popular.

In these years it was also betting on other colors, hence the Honda N360 had up to 13 shades in its palette (somewhat groundbreaking in 1966) or that tricolor design of motorcycles in blue, white and red. However, that tone will always have a special affection for the Japanese and in cars they always leave it related to the sportier models.

It should not be forgotten that red was the color of the first Honda NSX (well, also the current one), which had a lot of prominence in the legendary Honda S2000 or that currently appears quite regularly in the Honda Civic Type R. Coincidence or not, the unit we tested on the Civic also had the body in this color. In short, more than half a century of relationship between Honda and red, in addition to many joys in between.