Did anyone remember? Mr. Hondas Birthday
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Did anyone remember? Mr. Hondas Birthday
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The Soichiro Century: Mr. Honda Born 100 Years Ago Today
"A bicycle with a power source would be great."
by dean adams
Friday, November 17, 2006
Famed engineer, tycoon and gear-head Soichiro Honda was born one hundred years ago today. "Mr. Honda", as he was commonly known, was born in Hamamsutsu Japan, the son of a blacksmith. His fascination with all things mechanical started nearly from birth.
The company that he formed in the wake of WWII (there were unexploded bombs in the parking lot of his first building) would go on to change nearly every facet of motorcycle and automobile production and sport in every corner of the world.
There are literally hundreds of Mr. Honda stories from every era of his life. Here are some:
Before he was "Mr. Honda", Honda ran a subsidiary of Toyota that made parts for the war effort in Japan. When the Allies began carpet-bombing Japan, nearly the entire city of Hamamatsu was destroyed including the factory Honda was responsible for running. While others might have fear for the future with their homeland in ruins and economy in peril, Honda calmly sold his Toyota stock and waited for a new opportunity, saying later that he actually found the desolate economic climate and questionable future "freeing".
Honda was nearly blinded in a racing crash in 1936, when a self-built car he and his brother, Benijiro, hit another car at Tamagawa Speedway. The car was built on a Ford chassis with a supercharged, turbine engine.
Honda was an early tycoon thanks to his patents on piston rings in Japan. He spent the proceeds of these patents freely, buying boats, entertainment and even a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, which he rode around Japan.
Honda's first job outside of the family blacksmith shop was supposed to be that of a mechanical apprentice, but upon showing up the first day for work he realized that his job was to babysit and clean house for the owner's children. He carried one of the smaller children around on his back--the baby without a diaper.
Three terms one might never use to describe Honda in his early days would be cautious, frugal and pragmatic. Mr. Honda was completely fearless, driving his company to the edge of bankruptcy, employees to the hospital for overwork and resources to the bottom of the bin. Although Honda Motor had been producing motorcycles for years, and in incredible numbers, the often-told story remains that after their first foray at racing at the Isle of Man, the team and Honda returned to Japan essentially dead broke. This was not the first or last time this would happen.
Fact: in one 1960s Summer, Honda went to America and Europe and bought 450 million yen in new equipment for the factory. Beancounters back in Japan nearly grew hair and started barking madly at the moon--because this amount was three-times the capital on hand at Honda and four-times the sales of the previous down year. Honda was one of those rare people who would let no boundaries corral his dreams. To him it would be better to be bankrupt and broke than to lay in bed and lament 'if only I had new equipment'.
Even after Honda Motor became a huge multinational company and was producing millions of motorcycles, scooters and cars, the most common place to find Mr. Honda was in his old work jumpsuit, toiling away in the R&D shop. 1960s racing great Jim Redman writes in both of his books about encountering a man he thought was a janitor or simple mechanic in the factory in Japan, only to be introduced to the President of Honda Motor. The younger engineers called him "Pops".
Suzuka circuit in Japan was built by Mr. Honda. The very unique "cross-over" design was said to be part of the design in order to make it unique in the world. The reality was that Honda could not swing the purchase price for the amount of land he wanted for Suzuka, and the cross-over design was required to make the track both long enough for world championship racing and to fully utilize all of the land they purchased.
After his first visit to the Isle of Man--before the company raced there--Honda was humbled by the technology and horsepower seen in the English, Italian and American machines racing on the Island. He came back from the Isle of Man, and it is said, only spoke about "horsepower" for an entire year. Years later they returned to the Isle of Man to dominate the event, then the biggest race in the world.
Honda normally refused to speak about his company, racing or anything related to them while in his home, but in 1985, after winning both the 250 and 500 world championships Americans Freddie Spencer and Erv Kanemoto were invited to Mr. Honda's home after the season ended. The then retired Honda heard that Spencer had an aversion to sushi, but had a dinner of raw fish prepared for them. After minutes of Spencer pushing his food around his plate, Honda laughed and brought Spencer in a bag of McDonald's hamburgers.
Honda lived to see himself branded a legend but was probably the least typical Japanese exec seen on these shores. In dealing with both Americans and Europeans Mr. Honda was nearly gregarious, fun-loving and jovial. Somewhere in the Agajanian photo archives resides a photo of Mr. Honda at a dinner party in Southern California, wearing 1960s race promoter JC Agajanian's famed cowboy hat.
ENDS
"A bicycle with a power source would be great."
by dean adams
Friday, November 17, 2006
Famed engineer, tycoon and gear-head Soichiro Honda was born one hundred years ago today. "Mr. Honda", as he was commonly known, was born in Hamamsutsu Japan, the son of a blacksmith. His fascination with all things mechanical started nearly from birth.
The company that he formed in the wake of WWII (there were unexploded bombs in the parking lot of his first building) would go on to change nearly every facet of motorcycle and automobile production and sport in every corner of the world.
There are literally hundreds of Mr. Honda stories from every era of his life. Here are some:
Before he was "Mr. Honda", Honda ran a subsidiary of Toyota that made parts for the war effort in Japan. When the Allies began carpet-bombing Japan, nearly the entire city of Hamamatsu was destroyed including the factory Honda was responsible for running. While others might have fear for the future with their homeland in ruins and economy in peril, Honda calmly sold his Toyota stock and waited for a new opportunity, saying later that he actually found the desolate economic climate and questionable future "freeing".
Honda was nearly blinded in a racing crash in 1936, when a self-built car he and his brother, Benijiro, hit another car at Tamagawa Speedway. The car was built on a Ford chassis with a supercharged, turbine engine.
Honda was an early tycoon thanks to his patents on piston rings in Japan. He spent the proceeds of these patents freely, buying boats, entertainment and even a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, which he rode around Japan.
Honda's first job outside of the family blacksmith shop was supposed to be that of a mechanical apprentice, but upon showing up the first day for work he realized that his job was to babysit and clean house for the owner's children. He carried one of the smaller children around on his back--the baby without a diaper.
Three terms one might never use to describe Honda in his early days would be cautious, frugal and pragmatic. Mr. Honda was completely fearless, driving his company to the edge of bankruptcy, employees to the hospital for overwork and resources to the bottom of the bin. Although Honda Motor had been producing motorcycles for years, and in incredible numbers, the often-told story remains that after their first foray at racing at the Isle of Man, the team and Honda returned to Japan essentially dead broke. This was not the first or last time this would happen.
Fact: in one 1960s Summer, Honda went to America and Europe and bought 450 million yen in new equipment for the factory. Beancounters back in Japan nearly grew hair and started barking madly at the moon--because this amount was three-times the capital on hand at Honda and four-times the sales of the previous down year. Honda was one of those rare people who would let no boundaries corral his dreams. To him it would be better to be bankrupt and broke than to lay in bed and lament 'if only I had new equipment'.
Even after Honda Motor became a huge multinational company and was producing millions of motorcycles, scooters and cars, the most common place to find Mr. Honda was in his old work jumpsuit, toiling away in the R&D shop. 1960s racing great Jim Redman writes in both of his books about encountering a man he thought was a janitor or simple mechanic in the factory in Japan, only to be introduced to the President of Honda Motor. The younger engineers called him "Pops".
Suzuka circuit in Japan was built by Mr. Honda. The very unique "cross-over" design was said to be part of the design in order to make it unique in the world. The reality was that Honda could not swing the purchase price for the amount of land he wanted for Suzuka, and the cross-over design was required to make the track both long enough for world championship racing and to fully utilize all of the land they purchased.
After his first visit to the Isle of Man--before the company raced there--Honda was humbled by the technology and horsepower seen in the English, Italian and American machines racing on the Island. He came back from the Isle of Man, and it is said, only spoke about "horsepower" for an entire year. Years later they returned to the Isle of Man to dominate the event, then the biggest race in the world.
Honda normally refused to speak about his company, racing or anything related to them while in his home, but in 1985, after winning both the 250 and 500 world championships Americans Freddie Spencer and Erv Kanemoto were invited to Mr. Honda's home after the season ended. The then retired Honda heard that Spencer had an aversion to sushi, but had a dinner of raw fish prepared for them. After minutes of Spencer pushing his food around his plate, Honda laughed and brought Spencer in a bag of McDonald's hamburgers.
Honda lived to see himself branded a legend but was probably the least typical Japanese exec seen on these shores. In dealing with both Americans and Europeans Mr. Honda was nearly gregarious, fun-loving and jovial. Somewhere in the Agajanian photo archives resides a photo of Mr. Honda at a dinner party in Southern California, wearing 1960s race promoter JC Agajanian's famed cowboy hat.
ENDS
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