[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The Del Sol is as much an outgrowth of the CRX as anything else--in fact, in most of the world it was called the CRX del Sol, not the Civic del Sol as it was here in the US. Honda saw the big boom in the two-seat convertible market (read that: "Miata") and they wanted a piece. The Del Sol was an attempt to get into that market but not have a "me too" effect.

The CRX and the 914 share a number of virtues--similar weight, similar power, pretty well-concieved suspensions, reasonable brakes, and so on. The Del Sol was about 400 # heavier than the heaviest CRX or 914, and had a very significant amount of chassis flex (think "somewhat rusty 914" here). On the up-side, it kept the CRX'es dual-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear, and it got more power.

The CRX people call them "Del Slow", in much the same way we call 911s "taildraggers". The extra weight meant that only the most potent version (Del Sol VTEC, ~150 HP) could outrun the quicker CRXes, and the handling was worse.

I had read that the 914 was one of the cars that inspired the design of the CRX. I never believed it until I saw the Del Sol. I do wish it had been a more successful design, and had retained more of the virtues that the 914 and CRX shared.

--DD