THERE are many who regard the Honda Prelude as the king of the coupes in the 1980s and 1990s.

And with good reason because this elegant tourer based on the creditable underpinnings of the Accord just oozed quality.

The Prelude spanned five generations and lasted from 1978 to 2001 and joined the jolly line up of musical names from this manufacturer which included Quintet, Concerto and Ballade a tradition which continued up to modern times with the Honda Jazz.

But the Prelude, which competed against the Toyota Celica and Nissan Silvia certainly struck the right note in the UK, rapidly becoming a favourite and gracing many driveways in polished elegance.

It was the the first Honda model to offer a power moonroof as standard equipment, which eventually became a Prelude trademark. In Japan, the Prelude was available with a sliding metal sunroof, while US versions received a glass top which freed up more headroom.

But it was not until the third generation appeared in 1982 that this car achieved the success that it really deserved.

Although it featured pop-up headlights, a smooth 1.8-litre engine and a lot of refinement, its most powerful ace was four-wheel-steering.

Honda had a reputation for quiet progress towards fast, fast, cultured and understated premium motoring, and this dramatic new technological development somehow gave the brand a jet-propelled boost that it was hardly used to.

The writing was on the wall with this car because not only had it upped the ante in the coupe market, it also shared design cues that would be seen on Honda's practical supercar, the NSX that would appear later in 1989.

It was almost as if the company was flexing its muscles for much more exciting things to come.

The four-wheel steering system was amazing for its time. You could drive for miles without noticing it, but gradually you became aware of heightened responsiveness and a complete absence of body roll when cornering.

Of course, the system had its critics, some doubting its worth, but the Honda system demonstrated simple mechanical ingenuity rather than electro-hydraulic complication.

However, on a later version the mechanical four-wheel-steering system gave way to a sophisticated electronic set up.

Without doubt one of the best designed coupes of its day.