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| A crowd of journalists attended the H1300's press release held at the Akasaka Prince Hotel in Tokyo on April 15, 1970. |
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Praise for the air-cooled H1300 was immediate. At a press conference held in October 1968, one reporter from the West German Autokritik magazine was barely able to contain his enthusiasm. "This is an ideal engine," he said, "the ultimate goal of an auto manufacturer. It will be sure to send shivers down the backs of automotive experts."
Later that year, at the Tokyo Motor Show, the new car had Mr. Eiji Toyota, president of Toyota Motor Industries (now Toyota Motor Corp.), standing in front of the Honda exhibit for a full ten minutes. The story goes that he then called in his young engineers and dropped a bomb, shouting, "Honda's car produces 100 horsepower with a 1300-cc engine. Why can't we do the same thing?" This and other examples from the time evidence the high marks the H1300 received for its outstanding engineering.
Soichiro Honda was justifiably proud and confident. Takeo Fujisawa, the vice-president in charge of management, also was optimistic about the H1300. Prior to the press release, Honda had invited the owners of approximately 4,800 Honda specialty stores to an extended general meeting to be held at the Suzuka Circuit over two months in September and October. The owners were also given an opportunity to visit the Suzuka Plant and see the new H1300. The event was a reflection of the strong enthusiasm Soichiro and Fujisawa had for their new model. |
