Remember the Honda Del Sol? While I’m sure you do, I feel like most of the general population, addled and distracted as they are with their HAM radios and kaleidoscopes, likely have forgotten about this most unusual of Civics. Well, sometimes it was called a Civic; sometimes it was just a Del Sol, sometimes a CRX Del Sol. It contained multitudes, you see. But I think what many people may remember about this car was a really clever commercial that was made for it. About a towel. Sort of.
The Del Sol was actually Honda’s first open-topped car that was officially sold in America. The S500 roadster three decades before it, sure, but that was never officially sold here, even if plenty snuck in. The Del Sol wasn’t a convertible, but more of a targa-top kind of thing, with a removable roof panel that fit into a slot in the trunk lid.
As the name suggests, the whole deal with this car was to allow for the roof to be off and the sun, that giant ball of burning hydrogen 93 million miles away, to have access to your person while inside the car. Why don’t people pray to the sun more, like Akhenaten was trying to get us to do? It’s literally the source of all life, and it can burn you from all those millions of miles away!
Anyway, Honda was going to advertise these cars in a very sun-heavy way, as you can imagine, and that means the beach, even though, and I’ve checked this out, the sun does appear in other places, like loading areas behind supermarkets or gravel lots. They did make one ad, deceptive in its simplicity, that is a genuinely elegant way to express the whole point of the car:
I know that’s not a great copy of the ad – it looks like it was copied right from a VHS tape, which I suppose I kind of like – but you get the idea. The ad, made in 1993 by Rubin Postaer and Associates (RPA), the ad did not use any CGI which was just starting to become available at the time, but was prohibitively expensive. This was all done with camera tricks and clever editing.
I’ve seen online references to wind machines used to blow sand to hide the cut between towel and real car, but I just don’t see much blowing sand in that commercial? The truth is even better, if you ask me, because it’s just a production team doing their jobs really, really well.
These guys break it down nicely:
So, they shot the overhead with the real car first, then used that image as a projection to map the towel’s car exactly to where the real car would be, so the transition between flat towel car and real car would be seamless. And they were clever by having that kid chase the ball across the hood of the towel-car while the transition was happening with the rest of the car; I’m guessing they transitioned from the windshield up while the kid was running, then did the hood when he was gone?
My only real qualm with the ad is that I think driving off a towel on sand would just make a mess and grind that towel into the beach or maybe even wrap around the front wheels? Still, I can suspend my disbelief for that.
Overall, it’s just an absolute triumph of illusion! I’m gonna go buy a new Del Sol right now!
Top graphic image: Honda
My ex had one of these, it was fun but very small. You are invisible to a lot of other vehicles.
Buy a new Del Sol now? Sorry, you’re Del SOL.
I wanted one of these so much when they were new. I have a co-worker who still has one, and she drives it to work on occasion. Nice to see.
Wish my X1/9 had a retractable rear window. The buffeting was real. So were the sealing problems.
My all time favorite is still Cog..
https://youtu.be/_ve4M4UsJQo?si=fPmtAxIzrSIOD_AK
Nobody mentioning the Accord Art Gallery commercial, filmed in a rotating drum?
https://youtu.be/pPUlcPRmZI0?si=o46b1BvpnAw-Whle
Neat! I forgot that one. Practical FX are always better.
Welcome to the 90s, when the intersection of cheap cars and fun cars could exist because both of these things were actually produced.
They took up resources that could better be used for making vehicles that provided ROI for shareholders. It’s their world now.
This is how i know you never owned one, because a REAL Del Sol connoisseur would argue since the rear window rolled down it WAS in fact a real convertible, with a substantial roll bar.
Considering the rear window had a habit of jumping its rails and landing on the road in sharp corners, one could even say it was a mandatory convertible. 😉
I remember the model, but I was thinking it was a bit sportier for some reason? I didn’t know anyone who had one. That green is lovely though.
I like the illustration of the top just sort of levitating away. I’m guessing the actual process wasn’t quite that easy?
A friend of mine had one and it was actually quite fun. the trunk was spacious, with a DOHC B series it was legit.
Wonderful commercial. I bought a used one for my daughter. I loved it. She wrecked it.
College roommate had one and would let me drive it occasionally. I just thought it was the coolest. Saw one the other day and it didn’t seem nearly as sporty as I remembered.
I seem to remember that the back window was retractable.
It was at the sacrifice of the rear defroster lines that quickly got scraped up enough to fail.
Correct, and any del sol owner, any REAL del sol owner would tell you that qualifies it as a convertible with a roll bar.
I had one and loved it. Drove with top off any chance I could, even a few snowy days. Then I got T-boned by a city bus and lost it. I was as crushed as the car.
I finally got another targa top vehicle just this year, a C6 Corvette. The tells me that it’s not a mid-life crisis, it’s a return to form.
Just to complete the story, I was physically fine but could not remember from about 15 minutes before to a couple of hours later the hit. Never recovered any of that memory and that’s probably for the best
Similar story (but no Corvette yet). Bought one new in ‘93 and survived 3 moves in 3 years from NC to PA and back to NC; was totaled when a Mercury Capri (the Australian one) pulled out in front of me.
Sometimes it was called the Del Soak due to seal issues.
Or the Del Slo due to power issues.
a removable roof panel that fit into a slot in the trunk lid.
Unless you have the Japanese-market TransTop model, which is a truly unique piece of roof-removing-and-stowing technology.
I just sold my ’97 VTEC 5 speed a few months ago. I do miss that car, but the more miles I put on its replacement (a 2 door Bronco with an aftermarket soft-top for the summer), the easier it becomes to see where nostalgia (it was my mom’s car before she passed) papered over what was objectively an uncomfortable car with an extremely limited use case.
“…that giant ball of burning hydrogen 93 million miles…”
Is it really burning? Fusing, sure. Radiating, oh yeah. But I’m pretty sure it’s not burning. If we have any physicists here, maybe you could straighten me out.
Burning implies rapid oxidation, which I do not believe the sun does.
A Del Sol, on the other hand, will rapidly oxidize when exposed to road salt and other artifacts of northern winters. Here in NC on the other hand, they’re still a common sight.
it’s not burning, no. just a figure of speech!
Was he trying to burn you?
OK, I took it literally. That’s on me.
It’s a mass of incandescent gas per Drs. Flans and Linnell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JdWlSF195Y
A gigantic nuclear furnace!
My brother had one of those, a 1994 with the VTEC (back when that was still kinda new and cool) and a 5 speed. Man was that a fun little car to fling around, that little motor could sing.
I did buy a Del Sol new in 1993, and enjoyed owning and driving it. Now I have the Hot Wheels F&F version of it sitting on my desk.
Do I remember the Honda del Sol? Hold on, lemme dig around under my Yaesu FT-857Ds (there’s two!), my FT8900, the Heathkit SB200 amp, Heathkit HW-9 and accessories, AT2K tuner…
Ah! Here’s my memory of the del Sol: The only car I ever had an airbag blow up in my face in; knocked the handle off the Stanley mug in my hand; had to teach the driver how to bump-start a car because it wouldn’t start after a crash.
Well, no wonder I buried that under the HAM radio transceivers. I never got to see that car (or the driver, nudge-nudge) with the top off. Literally blew up in my face.
I wish Heathkit were still a thing.
They just left their huge towel on the beach?
Saving their spot for when they come back!
I always found the del sol to be one of the greatest appearance-performance disconnects of the 90s. Its looks say “I handle like an Integra or a Miata” when in reality it whispers “I’m a fat, balding civic”.
Always hated those ugly little cars.
And most of us here hate random, nonconstructive and pointless negative comments, but here we are.
They were kind of the Miata of Honda. Some could be had with a bit better than meh engines, but they did provide a sporty appearance, and like the Miata they are kind of love it or hate it. often forgot by everyone else.
Miata is a legitimate RWD sports car of the classic British definition of what a sports car is. It is insulting that you are comparing these FWD Honda turds with the Miata.
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Introspection is a valuable skill, as is listening to feedback. I have said nothing about the car, simply your negative attitude. Instead of doubling down I suggest you revisit that mentality before commenting here further.
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Rude and homophobic. Not helpful.
Regarding people not praying to the sun, perhaps they listened to George Carlin? You should pray to Joe Pesci, because he gets things done.
For the uninitiated:
https://youtu.be/2iUo1WgIjQ0?si=uEY2csekkNqLMpDY
The quote is because of two reasons. First of all I think he’s a good actor, to me that counts, and secondly he looks like a guy who can get things done. Also he came through on a couple of things that God was slacking off on, like the neighbor with the noisy dog. Joe Pesci straightened out that c-sucker with one visit. But yeah that’s why while he would worship the sun he won’t presume on their friendship and therefore offers his prayers to Joe. Lol
Not sure how I missed this one. Carlin is one of the best.
Is that voiceover the late great Jack Lemmon? It sure sounds like it.
“I’m gonna go buy a new Del Sol right now!”
Insert Ron Burgandy “I don’t believe you” meme.