The Acura Legend line was initiated with the release of the first Legend model in 1985. Honda had already acquired a reputation for synthesizing performance and aesthetic appeal and went a step further with its first generation of Acura Legend. Apart from its stunning looks, it became an instant object of admiration among car owners and critics alike. The Acura Legend was available in two versions of the coupe and the sedan with the sedan being the first to be launched for sale to customers with a 151 horsepower C25A 2.5 liter engine.
The coupe version was introduced with an upgraded 161 horsepower 2.7 liter C27A engine. The first generation Acura Legend was showered with numerous awards and prestigious titles with sustained rankings as the consumer’s choice for three consecutive years. The cars could gain a mind-blowing speed of 135 miles per hour and go from zero to 60 miles per hour in about 8 seconds. Outstanding technical features like the 24-valve V6 engine and the innovative double-wishbone suspension also immensely contributed to the cars overwhelming popularity.
The Acura Legend was also equipped with a technologically advanced information system which could provide feedback regarding maintenance intervals and valuable information regarding fuel economy and fluid levels. The Legend sedan was endowed with certain modifications in 1989 to increase its visual aspect. This was successfully achieved by designing the exterior of the car by placing a remodeled trunk lid, freshly designed headlamps and tail lights. A new set of dazzling alloy wheels along with a better looking front bumper are also incorporated into Acura Legend model. Apart from the exquisite wood grain interior, there weren’t too many noteworthy innovations in the 1990 LS models.
The second generation Aura car models had a tough act to follow as the people’s expectations had been raised after the first generation of Acura Legend models went out of production. However, the first of the second generation models introduced in 1991 did not disappoint the die hard fanatics of the Acura Legend. New customers were also visibly impressed with the 200 horsepower C32A engine which acquired the name tag of SOHC. It was available in both, a four-speed automatic as well as a five-speed manual transmission. The Legend featured on top of the luxury car segment with its special steering which was sensitive to speed levels along with the new and advanced features of automatic climate control and hands free telephone.
Even though the Legend coupe was produced in L and LS trims, the sedan was produced in same trims only in the first few years of the nineties decade. In 1993, the 6-speed manual transmission was introduced in the Acura line with a 230 horsepower SOHC engine. After the aesthetic restyling of the 1994 and 1995 Legend car models with a newly designed front grille and trunk lids, the production of Legend models was ceased by Honda. The Acura 3.5RL failed to impress as much as its predecessors which truly lived up to its name of truly proving to be a legend in the chronicles of car history.