Honda Repaints The Prelude In Deep Red, Charges $800 More For The Privilege

Honda isn't messing with a good thing under the hood, but it clearly thinks the Prelude needed a fresher look barely a year after launch. Enter the 2027 Limited Edition, a Japan-only trim that swaps the coupe's exterior and interior colorways without touching a single bolt of the mechanical package.

The Prelude only landed in Japan back in September 2025, debuting with the ON Limited Edition that paired a pearlescent white body with blackout roof, mirrors, and wheels. Less than twelve months later, Honda is already refreshing the palette with something far bolder. The headline addition is Premium Crystal Garnet Metallic, a deep red finish never before offered on this generation of Prelude. It's paired with a color-matched grille molding and red bumper accents that replace the blue trim found on other versions, while the 19-inch wheels keep their Machined Black Clear finish and now sit ahead of red Brembo brake calipers for extra contrast.

Step inside and the theme continues with Bordeaux inserts spread across the front seats, center console, and dashboard, set against black leather upholstery stitched in the same wine tone. Even the small details got the treatment—the Prelude script embroidered on the passenger-side dash trim switches from white to red. Everything else carries over unchanged. The hybrid powertrain still combines a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with dual electric motors for a combined 200 horsepower (149 kW / 203 PS) sent through the front wheels, and Honda's S+Shift system continues to fake gear shifts with torque mapping and simulated sound to keep the driving experience engaging despite the CVT-like setup underneath. Honda has opened orders for the 2027 Limited Edition in Japan already, with deliveries expected to begin in August.

Pricing lands at ¥6,306,300, or roughly $39,300 at current exchange rates, which works out to about $800 more than the standard Prelude commands—a small premium for buyers who want their coupe to stand out in a crowded parking lot. Whether this garnet-and-Bordeaux combo ever crosses the Pacific remains unclear, as Honda hasn't said a word about extending the special edition to North America or elsewhere. For now, anyone wanting the boldest Prelude color scheme will need to be shopping in Japan.