The Fifth of August marks a quiet anniversary, an event that will most likely pass by unknown amidst the media circus over the Civic losing its Consumer Reports Recommendation and other worldly affairs. Twenty years have passed since Soichiro Honda breathed his last on August 5, 1991. He rose from humble beginnings to a position of global prominence powered by his dreams and his work ethic.
It was his inquisitive mind coupled with a desire to constantly push his boundaries that set him on the path towards creating “the engine company.” His zeal for innovation and zest for racing rubbed off on several of his people and products. It is the reason why Honda surged to multiple racing victories on two wheels and four.
Although he retired from the affairs of the company in 1973, he had set the mold whereby others could follow in his footsteps. Facing bankruptcy in the 50s, he embarked on a campaign to race his motorcycles on the Isle of Man, thereby establishing Honda as a force to reckon with. Victories in Formula One followed as well with American Richie Ginther driving Honda to its first podium at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. When the Japanese government tried to get Honda to join a consortium of other manufacturers to form a third large car company to compete with Toyota and Nissan, Honda responded by building the S500 sports car and retained his right to remain an independent manufacturer. By doing all of that, he ensured that his company always marched to a different tune and was never afraid to take calculated risks.
In his own words, Products don’t lie. If a product is really good, it will succeed. What did we at Honda intend when we created our products? We should only present what we created. Our products speak the truth about Honda. Such was his drive to engineer the best possible product.
The Barber Vintage Motorsports museum in Birmingham, Alabama contains a Honda exhibit that has the following words on a glass plaque -
“What made you happiest as an engineer?“This was Honda’s response:
“To start with I’ll tell you what most disappointed me…”
This attitude is what makes Honda.
As we spend time today, driving (or riding) home, or are outdoors mowing our lawn, perhaps we can spare a few quiet moments remembering Soichiro Honda and the extent to which his dreams continue to touch and inspire us.
For everything you dreamed and achieved, thank you, Soichiro-san.
Images: MotorWeb blog and BikeWriter.Com
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on Aug 4th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
Honda needs to go back in time to find its future. Sadly the corporate mindset that brought us the S2000 and the NSX has been smothered.
“What made you happiest as an engineer?“This was Honda’s response:
“To start with I’ll tell you what most disappointed me…”
This attitude is what makes Honda. And this is where Honda needs to return too.
on Aug 5th, 2011 at 2:50 am
If Soichiro was alive today he’d probably torch the majoirty of the current Honda line-up, and then drive away in his NSX or S2000. His disappointment would once again stir him up.
J.
on Aug 5th, 2011 at 5:06 am
Even sadder then that Honda announces yet another recall today: 1.5 million vehicles.
on Aug 5th, 2011 at 5:23 am
It’s sad to say that there isn’t a car in Honda’s current line-up I’d personally be willing to buy – not even the Civic Si, with its front mcpherson struts, asstastic interior bits, and zero personality…
on Aug 5th, 2011 at 5:42 am
Dont see how rememmbering Honda is related to where Honda(company) is today based on some of the comments.
on Aug 5th, 2011 at 5:46 am
God bless Soichiro-San.
At least we drive an awesome car that represents what Honda used to be like.
on Aug 5th, 2011 at 7:48 am
@Sigma Black
Remembering Honda reminds us of what the company used to be like and should still be like today. I think people are just re-emphasizing his legacy and how the company today has kinda veered away from that.
on Aug 5th, 2011 at 9:44 pm
Well it’s probably true that the true spirit of Honda passed with him it’s more of a sign of the current times than anything in how it’s evolved since.
Honda has built some truly amazing things but failed to release many of those and buried others in buckets of vanilla. For instance the Ridgeline – fantabulous for a truck but basically shit on by corporate in times of high gas prices in lieu of developing it with newer technologies to combat them. Soschiro would have pressed hard for direct injection I think to replace gutless hybrid development band aids.
on Aug 5th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
whoever wrote this report did a pretty horrible job and did some lousy research lol. if this is all you’ve read of honda, you’re mislead. one of the most important word in Honda’s life is missing in this whole report: bicycle.
on Aug 5th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
bicycle, wars, and attachment motors.
on Aug 6th, 2011 at 12:35 am
The world is running out of fuel.
Get used to that fact.
It may be another 50 or 100 year and we will probably ruin the planet to get the last drop out of the ground it but its going to happen.
Enter the Honda FCX Clarity.
IMO that car is a fine example of the spirit of Soichiro Honda.
The world should follow that example.
Hydrogyn IS the future.