Honda Accord LX CVCC Hatchback, Cream

Honda launched the Accord on 7 May 1976, and it arrived first as a three-door hatchback, with a four-door saloon following in October 1977. It was built as a stretch of the Civic's platform, 4,125 mm long on a 2,380 mm wheelbase, and Honda listed it from the start as the Accord CVCC, after the low-emission combustion system it shared with the smaller car. The plaque dates this one to 1979, the year after the better-equipped LX hatchback joined the range. It shows the original shape clearly: quad round headlamps either side of a black grille with a CVCC badge, a long sloping tailgate, and slim chrome bumpers with black rubber strips and amber indicators.

This one is finished in cream with a tan interior, the ribbed seats, door cards, console and dashboard all in the same warm shade. Through the glass are the black three-spoke steering wheel, the instrument binnacle with its dials, a floor gearlever in a black gaiter and a small CVCC plate on the dashboard. At the back are the CVCC, Honda and Accord LX badges and a 5 speed script for the five-speed manual gearbox, and the car runs on silver slotted wheels with Honda centre caps. It stands on an orange stitched base with an engraved plaque naming the 1979 Honda Accord LX CVCC Hatchback, from a limited edition of 50.