Everyone, gather ’round the CVCC cylinder head and hear this benediction! I realize that Happy Honda Days have become more commercialized than we’d like, but it’s never too late to bask in the light of The Great Soichiro and The Beautiful Futility Of His Air-Cooled Dreams and The Miracle Of The Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion and, from there find true light and salvation!
Oh, also, I hope everyone celebrating Toyotathon has a lovely saleabration, I guess.
Regardless of what you saleabrate – Happy Honda Days, Toyotathon, Lexus December to Remember, Mercedes Winter Event, Chevy Red Tag Sales Event, Saturnalia, whatever – the important message here is that we here at the Autopian wish you nothing but joy and two-stroke exhaust and warm times with the people you love.
So, we’re giving our staff the day off today, and, I suppose, tomorrow, which I’m told is also a significant holiday even for people who don’t saleabrate Happy Honda Days or Toyotathon, but instead follow a faith that – and it’s hard for me to process this – predates cars. Huh! What do they talk about?
As always on Happy Honda Days’ eve, I like to remind everyone of Soichiro Honda’s magnum opus, the Honda 1300. This was Honda’s first real, non kei-class passenger car, and remains one of the most sophisticated examples of air-cooling an engine in all of automobilia.
This 1.3-liter engine was a dry-sump design that made 97 horsepower and rev’d to a mad 8,000 RPM! And that was in 1969! 97 hp from 1.3 liters in 1969 was no joke, and some versions made up to 116 hp!
But the real magic of the 1300’s engine was how it was cooled – Soichiro Honda pumped air through the engine like water. They called it Duo Dyna Air Cooling, (DDAC) and the finned cylinders had a double-walled cooling jacket – analogous to a liquid-cooled engine’s water jacket – with one layer circulating the cooling air and the other exchanging the heat for, I imagine, some manner of thermal store credit.
The 1300 wasn’t a sales hit at all, and air-cooling proved to be something of a dead end, sadly, but there’s beauty in seeing a dream realized, and that’s what Happy Honda Days is all about, really.
So, again, from all of us at the Autopian, to all of you, we wish you much love and joy and hope you get some fantastic car-related presents. And maybe give them, too!
We are a mixed household of Hondukkah and Bugattist, so we compromise and celebrate Chryslermas.
I just want to know where I can spend all my accumulated credits now that the Thermal Store has closed.
Merry Chrysler and Happy Honda Days to one and all!
So if we bow down before the one we serve then we are going to get what we deserve?
*screams the next line loudly in my head*
Air cooling is nice if you hate cooling.
Happy Opel Offering day, I suppose – I’m a bit disconnected with my current tribal holiday, because back when I lived in Brazil Opels were badged as Chevrolets. And, in any case, I drove a Fiat there anyway, so I celebrated Fiat Festivus!
Also, side note, I had never seen a 1300 before now, what an absolute gorgeous car! I wonder if they had it as a shooting brake, because if they did, I just unlocked a new life objective!
Fiat Festivus brings new meaning to the Airing of Grievances. Lord knows it fails miserably in the Feats of Strength department.
You have to be strong to push a fully loaded car out of traffic when it dies unexpectedly.
Hello, have you heard the good word of Acura’s Witness? While you heathens celebrate the pagan traditions of Happy Honda Days. We embrace a traditional view of Honda, that embraces the J-series. One cam (per cylinder bank) is all your getting, and your going to like it. And none of that VTC stuff. Reject modernity and embrace tradition during this Decembers “Acura Winter Sales Event”. Which, we could not be more clear, is not a holiday. It’s a sales event!
Do you have a moment to talk about Accords?
Is Acura the brother of Ahura? As in Ahura Mazda, the god of the Zoroastrian faith? If they were able to reconcile their family feud, maybe we could have divinely inspired rotary Civics, or Miatas with J-Series engines?
My purchase history says I’m brand agnostic. So I’ll just say happy holidays to everyone, regardless of what you observe. Even the Elongelicals get a pass today.
Merry Whatevermas! We’re a Cadillac/Mazda household with a battered Corolla for the kids. I’m not sure which holidays we celebrate, but celebrate them we will!
Peace and joy to everyone, especially you. Yes, you!
The graceful face of that 1300 should be the inspiration for some future Honda
We’re a split household, wife and dog are Subaru Share the Lovers, my side of the family is Chevy Red Tageous, we mainly do gift cards.
In this house, we celebrate the Subaru Share the Love event!
It’s that time of year to slow down and remember CVCC was a miracle. Almost nobody believed it could be done.
I wish you all pestilence, misery and illness. I hope all your presents are terrible and your turkey is dry. May you run out of mulled wine and your egg nog sour. I hope the cat knocks over your tree and your christmas lights trip out power for the whole neighbourhood, making you local enemy number one.
Happy Holidays!
Plagues are commemorated on Passover, Uncle.
Oops, Parshover.
Plaques, plagues it’s all the same to me.
Parshover is inspired, so your firstgaraged will be spared from rust.
Let’s be clear. All Parsh jokes are offerings to Stef. But thank you.
Indeed! I hope Stef is Autopian’s next hire.
Fah who doraze, fah who doraze, welcome Christmas, Christmas Day. Has your heart started growing yet?
May all your matches be wet.
If it helps put you into a festive mood, my Triumph’s left front t[i/y]re picked up a nail on the way to work this morning.
This is all about advertising your theatrical opus for a noble goth- Slay Bells- Isn’t It!
https://youtu.be/A1X3d2zWx94?si=BHJhFWpdjSIh994A
Someone’s shooting for the naughty list.
You neglected Hemi Holidays. It’s not a dying religion, It’s not! (Weeping softly.)
I celebrate my faith every week on the Saabbath, but I do especially enjoy the festive atmosphere this time of year. Happy holidays to all of Autopia and to all a good night.
Sweden’s Greetings!
Jason, wishing you a marvelous Festival of (Tail) Lights!
I’m glad we can just say Happy Honda Days again, that PC “merry winter car sale event” crap was just taking it too far
Cue Sean Hannity railing about the war on Happy Honda Days…
Happy Honda Days from La Honda Maintenance Station!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54224602296_20c41f90fa_c.jpg
Even more than usual, since this is one of those rare years when the first day of Hondakah (or Hyundaikah for some sects) falls on the same day as Chryslermas.
So some will be joyfully closing the switch on the the first of the eight spark plugs, while others hang their Nomex by the chimney with care. Hopefully all will be surrounded by family, friends, and their favorite socket sets.
Those of us with flat-fours are waiting until Boxer Day on the 26th.
Ford econoboxes will be celebrating Festivas with the rest of us
That’s gold, Jerry! Gold!
I was coming in to drop a similar well-wishing, but I’m actually glad somebody else also thought of it. A happy Festiva to the rest of ya.
“and their favorite socket sets.”
A stocking filled with all 10mm, 6 and 12 point, deep and regular, 1/4″, 3/8″, and a couple of 1/2″ please.
I hope you all enjoy some well deserved time off.
Please enjoy your time off with family and friends.
Merry Chryslermas to you too. ????
Well, that was cool . . . air cooled!