| Tokyo, March 17, 1998 --- As part of a coming series of events celebrating its 50th anniversary, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced today that the Honda Collection Hall, which had been under construction at Twin Ring Motegi, located in Motegi-cho, Tochigi Prefecture, will be open to public on Saturday March 21, 1998.
The Honda Collection Hall exhibits Honda products and racing machines manufactured in its 50-year history. The Honda Collection Hall ensures an active preservation of the exhibits. Nearly 80% of approximately 450 exhibits are kept in their original working condition.
In the restoration room where products and racing machines are restored, visitors are able to observe the ongoing work as well as the restored automobiles and motorcycles being tested at the mini track of approximately 200m, located besides the restoration room. Visitors can actually see the historic Honda products in action. This is the most important and fun feature of this facility.
The building contains two exhibition towers, at the north and south, interconnected by a central lobby where the glass-covered walls and ceiling allow the sunlight to enter. The three-story building has an overall floor area of 8,638m2. Surrounded by a rich green atmosphere, the building itself is designed to harmonize with nature; the exterior walls are naked concrete, the first floor is fully covered by bricks with wood interior decorations. The building includes the exhibition rooms, documents room, orientation room, souvenir shop and cafeteria.
Under the basic concept of providing visitors with a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere where they can fully enjoy watching the exhibitions, the building has been designed to incorporate indirect illumination systems for the second and third floor exhibitions. The lighting system softens the shade, thus offering a clearer and more pleasant view. Additionally, the air conditioning system is specially designed to keep the displays in good condition. There are no visual impediments around exhibits to ensure visitors have an unobstructed view.
Honda Collection Hall
Introduction to Exhibition Floors
The Honda Collection Hall will offer a special commemorative exhibition program entitled Dreams Come True: Honda's 50 Year Challenges, expressing the company's thanks to their supporters for a half of century.
- The first floor has been designed under the theme of Dreams: The Root and Heart of Honda. Visitors will be introduced to the dreams of Soichiro Honda, the founder of the company, and the early days of Honda under the partnership between the founder and Takeo Fujisawa, who extended his full understanding to Soichiro's ambitious dreams.
In the North Tower, a number of passenger cars and motorcycles, including the S600, NSX-R and power products are exhibited. Also, major racing motorcycles from the early days and those currently manufactured are in parallel exhibition. In doing so, the North Tower exhibition, comprised of 39 selections, suggests that the very root of the Honda way of manufacturing has remained unchanged. Despite the passage of 50 years, our dreams have remained alive.
- On the second floor, under the theme of Enthusiasm for Motorsports, 106 racing motorcycles are on display in the South Tower. The exhibitions include the RC143, with which Soichiro Honda followed through on his declaration to participate in Isle of Man TT Race, and the NR500 racing machine. The level of the exhibition is further enhanced by archrival competition models with which Honda racing motorcycles made racing history.
In the North Tower, racing cars, including the RA272 that gave the company its first victory in Formula One, are exhibited. The North Tower contains 35 racing cars.
The second floor bridge, which interconnects the Towers, features valuable exhibitions indicating the long history of Honda's challenging spirit. An automobile, Curtis, in which Soichiro raced in his youth in 1924, is one of the exhibits.
- The third floor is created under the theme of Pursuit of Dreams. The exhibitions are the major products in the company's history, which demonstrate Honda's focus on the creation of something useful and a sense of joy. The South Tower displays 156 street motorcycles like the Super Cub and CB750 FOUR. The North Tower exhibits consist of 95 units of passenger cars, such as N360, Civic and so on, power products including the first product of the H-type engine, and scooters.
The third floor bridge illustrates the corporate history through a chronological table.
Brief Introduction to Honda Collection Hall
| Name |
Honda Collection Hall |
| Location |
c/o Twin Ring Motegi
Oaza-Hinokiyama, Motegi-cho,
Haga-gun, Tochigi
Tel.: 0285-64-0341
|
| Public opening |
March 21 (Sat.), 1998 |
| Site area |
approx. 16,000m2 |
| Building |
Three-story steel-reinforced concrete |
| Overall floor area |
8,638m2 |
| Individual room area |
Exhibition hall |
4,420m2 |
| Restoration room |
240m2 |
| Documents room |
310m2 |
| Orientation room |
250m2 |
| Museum shop and cafe |
162m2 |
| Mini track |
approx. 200m |
| Opening hours* |
Weekends and holidays |
09:30 - 17:30 |
| Weekdays |
10:30 - 17:30 |
| * The closing hour will change according to seasons and events. |
| Curator |
Yoshihiko Aoyama |
| Staff members |
34 |
| Admission Fee |
Free (Twin Ring Motegi general admission is required) |
| Closures |
Corresponding to Twin Ring Motegi |
Honda Collection Hall Exhibition Rooms Map
Honda Collection Hall map
|
