I think most of us can agree these are difficult times. Part of that difficulty is just how divided the world feels right now, and at this time of year especially. I’m sure you’ve seen the social media posts from the Toyotathonians and the Happy Honda Days adherents, and seen how petty and cruel and adversarial things have gotten. Well, I’m here to ask all of you, whatever you celebrate – Happy Honda Days, Toyotathon, Lexus December to Remember, Mercedes Winter Event, Chevy Red Tag Sales Event, Mitsuokamas – to take a moment and reflect on the deeper meaning of these holidays, and why we celebrate at all.
With that in mind, I’d especially like to implore you to help us all to return to the real meaning of Happy Honda Days.
It seems like today Happy Honda Days has become just some cynical reason to sell brand-new Hondas at amazing prices. And, sure, for many people this is a valid way to saleabrate, but I can’t help but think it misses the true meaning of Happy Honda Days, praising The Great Engineer Soichiro Honda and his bold works, using them as a guide to live a better, fuel-efficient life.
Now is not the time for crass negotiations on a new CR-V; now is the time to gather ’round family and talk about the incredible air-cooling system of the Honda 1300, how it was The Great Soichiro’s Dream and yet how, despite the novel air-cooling system (Duo Dyna Air Cooling, (DDAC) being an engineering marvel, was also not the path that the future of engine cooling would take.
This, of course, is known as the Parable of The Dead End, and is one of the hardest and most misunderstood lessons of Happy Honda Days, which is why it is so important to remember.
To a casual observer, an unbeliever, Happy Honda Days probably seems just like some way to get as many people as possible into Honda dealerships to buy cars, but of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, of course we want people to visit Honda dealers, to bask in Soichiro’s legacy, to feel the glow and warmth of the spirits of VTEC (just kicked in, yo), and to hopefully hear the inspiring tale of Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion (CVCC) and how The Great Soichiro made fools of the General of Motors during the 1973 No-Catalyst Smackdown.
There’s also the inspiring tales of the Honda Super Cub, the most produced motor vehicle ever, the machine designed to make anyone and everyone mobile.
I beg of you all, don’t be taken in by the crass commercialism of the season; try to remember why we saleabrate Happy Honda Days in the first place, and please do your part to spread the Good News of Soichiro and his healing engineering. And, I would also ask that you do your best to heal the rifts between the Happy Honda saleabrants and the Toyotathonians; after all, we all have the same goals in the end, a world of reliable and efficient motorized transportation.
In the name of the Cub, Civic, and Compound Vortex, I bid you all a wonderful holiday, free from crass commercialism and relentless salesmanship, just the pure joy of good engineering and Meeting the Nicest People.
All hail Soichiro.
My first motorcycle was Honda 305 Dream, when I was 16 years old. What a smooth riding and running machine. Only my BMW motorcycles have been as good.
Your professional appearance on History Channels “The Cars That Built the World”: Episode 4, taught me that Soichiro became determined to succeed on his own after Toyota rejected him as a piston ring supplier. Also, that he had to resort to black market gas to power his first motorized bikes, throwing off inspectors by topping off containers with turpentine! I enjoyed that series very much!
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I’ve owned 2 products from Honda. One was a stick shift DB 1993 Acura Integra. That was a pleasant car, maybe I should have kept it. The other was 1980 C70 Passport, which was really a Super Cub, but Piper Aircraft wouldn’t allow Honda to use that name in the US. I probably should have kept that one, too.
What about Festivus?
Thank you Torch! With you as our Pilot, we have reached an Accord that we will all behave Civicly. Your article also serves as a Passport on our Odyssey to a brighter future. And while it may not be exactly what we CR-V, at least our view from the Ridgeline provides us with a Prelude of what is possible. Let not 2025 be our epilogue; rather let it be a Prologue to a great year to come!
You Beat me to the puns Today…… S2000
That’s a tough Acty follow! Story of my Life.
You are a legend and all that jazz.
I read this and had a fit.
As a faithful owner of a GR Corolla and old Celica GTS from the Pro / Celebrity races, I firmly celebrate Toyotathon. But I recognize my Honda Days and atheistic Subaru friends as well!
And a Happy Honda Days to you, good sir, even though I don’t celebrate. I have left out some large S-shaped Stella Doro cookies for Dr. Oldsmobile however, in hopes he will cook me up a W-machine or two.
Remember… you could be visited by three angry spirits if you are one of those BAH! Stromberg! people.
We also would have accepted “Bah! Humber!”