An Unforgettable Beloved Car

My husband, a self-proclaimed car enthusiast, says there’s one car in his history that he still can’t forget. That car is the Honda Legend Coupe (KA8).

He often finds himself saying things like, “I drove this road in the Legend” or “I wish I could drive the Legend Coupe again.” Such is his fondness for the Legend Coupe that he happened to connect with a fellow owner on Instagram, met up with them at the Royu Driveway, and even got to test drive the car.

This time, my husband has written a report about the Legend Coupe (KA8).

Honda Legend Coupe (KA8)

When talking about his car history, there’s one car he can’t leave out: the Honda Legend Coupe (KA8). However, it wasn’t his first car. His first car was a 2-door hardtop Legend (KA3) passed down from his father, the predecessor to the KA8.

He vividly remembers the very first day he drove it, even the road itself: Prefectural Route 724 in Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture.

His first car, passed down from his father: the Legend 2-Door Hardtop Exclusive (KA3)

Until then, he had only driven his mother’s Honda Today kei car, but when he first got behind the wheel of his father’s Legend, he was blown away. The solid feel of the car was completely different, the way it traced curves without slipping, and the impressive high-speed stability for the time left a strong impression.

He thought, “Cars can feel this different depending on the model!” for the first time.

Soon after, the Legend 2-door hardtop (KA3) needed an engine overhaul due to high mileage and was unfortunately scrapped.

Captivated by the Legend’s charm, he borrowed money from his parents and, even as a student, managed to buy the successor model, the Legend Coupe (KA8) Alpha Touring grade, for 1.68 million yen.

The Legend Coupe he drove back then

From the time he saw the KA8 on the streets while still driving the KA3, he was captivated by its design—the distinctive rear styling different from the sedan, and the sharp front end—and dreamed of driving one someday.

The Legend Coupe he drove back then

He recalls the mileage was around 60,000 km when he bought it, but he ended up driving it for about 100,000 km.

His impression at the time was that despite the large body, having only two doors felt luxurious and stylish. It had outstanding high-speed stability among Japanese cars, a sporty yet incredibly comfortable ride, and an engine that revved beautifully—he was completely hooked.

The Legend Coupe he drove back then

He traveled all over Japan in that Legend Coupe. On weekends, summer and winter holidays, whenever he had free time, he was on the road. (Well, not much different from now, haha)

He once circled Shikoku in about 16 hours while camping in the car, drove endlessly along Route 8 just for the fun of “conquering Route 8,” and traveled to Kanto, Shinshu, Kyushu, Hokuriku, even driving in heavy snow with chains in the trunk.

His current driving addiction started with those journeys in the Legend Coupe.

He even went skiing in the Legend and deliberately drove through heavy snow areas.

Along the way, he fixed various troubles like broken auxiliary parts and coolant leaks inside the engine, but eventually passed the car on to a friend around 2003 and stopped driving the Legend.

In fact, until around 2003, he ran a fan site for the Legend Coupe called “The Coupe of LEGEND.” It featured a bulletin board for owners and compiled various information about the Legend Coupe.

A screenshot of the site from 2001.
A handmade design full of charm that’s hard to imagine today, haha

The site was popular not only in Japan but also overseas, so some readers of this blog might even remember it.