Honda Collection Hall Museum – Part 1

Last time we wrote about a Honda car collection, it was a top-secret closed-door facility. Well, that’s just the US. In Japan, where Honda is one of the kings, they celebrate cars on a scale unlike what we’re used to here.

Located in the Tochigi prefecture, Twin Ring Motegi is Honda’s home racetrack. Playing host to the Champ Car World Series and Formula Nippon, Motegi is a multi-configurable super speedway perhaps most famous to American youth for its appearance in Gran Turismo.

Like an Accord, the Honda Collection Hall isn't very flashy or bright on the outside. A bus is available to take visitors from the museum to other stops at Motegi

Greeting visitors to the Honda Collection Hall is this large glass sculpture, scribed with the word "Dream"

We had the chance to visit a Super GT race (back when it was still called the JGTC) a few years ago at Motegi and discovered one of Honda’s not-so-hidden gems. Located on the sprawling grounds of Motegi, the Honda Collection Hall is free public car museum maintained by Honda. Inside you’ll find a restaurant, gift shop and three stories worth of Honda products on display.

Asimo - Honda's mechanical man. Sure to be leading the machines in their future rampage against humans

Now a vintage classic, the Honda NSX has been retired from Super GT/JGTC racing duty

The ground floor is dedicated to design concepts and other non-production ideas. Honda’s own eerily creepy Asimo mechanical man will often be on hand to greet your entrance. The second floor is dedicated to production cars and motorcycles. When we visited, we discovered a pristine Honda NSX Type-R rubbing shoulders with a Honda S600 coupe. The third floor is all racing machines, from Senna’s McLaren-Honda to a JGTC NSX.

The Honda HSC concept car, rumored in the past to become the next NSX. Will it ever come out?

When visiting the hall, there are a few things to remember. Every single thing you’ll see, from the lawnmower to the F1 car, is Honda-made or Honda-powered. Another is that outside the hall, just out the back doors, is a full restoration center and small test track. Every car in the hall is maintained by a small army of mechanics and the displays are constantly fired up and rotated. Two visits, separated by a couple weeks, could prove to be completely different.

From McLaren to BAR, more Formula One cars are sitting in the Honda Collection Hall than you're likely to see in one spot in the US

Honda has also been successful on two-wheels and there are plenty of Moto GP and Grand Prix World Championship bikes on display

Although the Honda Collection Hall is clean, well lit and neatly laid out, there are many museums in America that have it beat on decoration and atmosphere. Toyota’s own Tokyo-based History Garage museum even has better atmospheric displays. But the Collection Hall is amazing for its sheer size and breadth.

If you ever need proof that Honda doesn’t throw anything away, take a visit to the Collection Hall. You’ll find F1 superstars, Moto GP champions, prototypes and rare finds all under one roof. And that’s a very good draw.

Source
Honda Worldwide
world.honda.com/collection-hall

Just a small selection of the motorcycles on display in the Honda Collection Hall

Richie Ginther scored Honda's first ever win in Formula One. Many of their early racing cars are on display in the Collection Hall

One of British American Racing's (BAR) early Reynard-Honda F1 machines. Not the best Formula One ever made

Indycars made many visits to Twin Ring Motegi and Honda had a few of them on display as well

Before we left the Twin Ring Motegi grounds, we had a quick peek through the pit and garage area. What we found was a small group of Type-R safety cars

Continue to Honda Collection Hall - Part 2 >>>