Honda CR-X del Sol

The Honda CR-X del Sol is a two-seater targa-top car manufactured by Honda from 1992 until 1998. The del Sol uses a front-engine layout based on the fifth-generation Civic and was the successor to the Honda CR-X.
The Spanish name del Sol translates to of the sun, and refers to the car's opening roof. The del Sol featured a removable aluminum hardtop that stowed onto a hinged frame in the trunk and a motorized drop-down rear window. Manual and automatic "TransTop" roofs were available in select markets. It is the first open-air Honda sold in the United States.
Production and sales ended with the 1997 model in North America and 1998 elsewhere.

Japanese and European markets

The CR-X del Sol was first introduced to Japan and Europe in 1992 for the 1993 model year. The base model came equipped with 13-inch steel wheels, available only at Honda Verno Japanese dealerships. The Japanese VXi/VGi versions came with a Honda D15B-VTEC 4-cylinder engine, an entry-level SOHC VTEC engine that produced.
The "Si" model came standard with a 1.6-liter SOHC VTEC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine. The Si also came with 14-inch alloy wheels, optional body-color-matched paint on Samba Green models, power side mirrors, cruise control, rear disc brakes, wider tires, and additional front & rear anti-sway bars.
The SiR models in Japan are powered by a 1.6-liter DOHC VTEC 4-cylinder engine available with an optional limited-slip differential.
A premium model, VTi, was also available in Europe, which came equipped with the same B16A 1.6-liter DOHC VTEC 4-cylinder engine available in the North American del Sol VTEC.
Depending on model and market, the options included a rear spoiler, custom floor mats, an automatic transmission, power steering, heated mirrors, front fog lights, traction control system, limited-slip differential, and air conditioning.

North American market

For the North American market, the car was marketed as a Civic del Sol upon its release for the 1993 model year.
During its initial year, trim levels were limited to the S and Si models powered by SOHC Honda D-series 4-cylinder engines. In 1994, the Civic del Sol VTEC model was added which included the 1.6-liter 16-valve DOHC VTEC 4-cylinder engine producing, stiffer suspension as well as larger front disc brakes and larger 14-inch tires. The S and Si models were available with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic while the del Sol VTEC model was only available with a 5-speed manual transmission.
In 1994, dual air bags became standard. Beginning in 1995, the car was marketed as the Honda del Sol. In 1996, the del Sol received a minor interior and exterior styling refresh and the S model got a 1.6-liter SOHC 4-cylinder engine replacing the 1.5-liter engine that came in the 93-95 models. 1997 was the final year of production for the del Sol in North America.

Colors

The 1993-1994 U.S. domestic market Del Sol came in five colors, namely Captiva blue pearl, frost white, Granada black pearl, Milano red, and Samba green pearl. For 1995, Honda replaced Captiva blue pearl and Samba green pearl with isle green pearl and paradise blue-green pearl, and made frost white available on the Si. For 1996–1997, Honda removed the paradise blue-green pearl color, replaced isle green pearl with Cypress green pearl, and added vogue silver metallic.

TransTop

Most del Sols came equipped with a aluminum roof that could be manually removed and stowed onto a hinged frame in the trunk where it only took up of trunk space. An option available in Japan and Europe was the TransTop, an electric mechanism which retracted the targa top into the trunk via a push of a button. The roof is operated by flicking two catches above the windows, then holding down a button. The trunk lid raises vertically and two arms extend into the targa top. After locking the lid to the arms, the arms pull the targa into the trunk lid, which lowers back down with the roof inside. The open process is reversed for the closure and return of the targa top.

Model updates

Autumn 1992 :

CR-X del Sol launched in Japan with two trim levels – VXi and SiR
Civic del Sol launched in USA with two trim levels – S and Si
CR-X del Sol launched in Europe with two trim levels – ESi and VTi

U.S. domestic market changes for 1994:

Added VTEC trim level, with B16A3 DOHC VTEC engine and of torque, 9,000 rpm tachometer, and improved suspension
S trim level receives front sway bar
Dual SRS airbags standard

Changes for 1995:

Civic tag dropped from US name; model now called del Sol
VXi trim was only available in Japan as a SOHC VTEC. VGi, which was the Japanese version of the European ESi SOHC VTEC, replaced the VXi.
Redesigned targa top seals to help prevent leakage
Added anti-lock brakes on VTEC trim, base weight now
Heater vents in center console can now be open or closed
Added remote trunk release
Low fuel light
New alloy wheel design
S trim receives redesigned wheel covers
Si and VTEC trims receive redesigned alloy wheels

Changes for 1996 :

Elimination of front auxiliary headlamps
Small airdam / rear deck aesthetic treatment
New front bumper and air dam
Length increase to
The base del Sol S receives the SOHC D16Y7 engine with, a increase over previous years' D15B 1.5-liter.
The del Sol Si receives the SOHC VTEC D16Y8 engine, as well as the suspension, larger front and rear stabilizer bars, and steering of the VTEC trim.
The del Sol VTEC receives the DOHC VTEC B16A2 engine
OBD-II Emission control system implemented
New seat materials
New carpeting material

Change for 1997:

Production ends

End of production in 1998:

Production ends
Sales

Number of del Sols sold in the United States by calendar year:

Year	Quantity
1993	25,748
1994	21,075
1995	14,021
1996	8,489
1997	5,603

Due to a production delay, some of the 1996 U.S. Domestic Market sales were leftover 1995 model year cars.

VIN decoder

decoder for U.S. domestic market del Sol:
Example Description
Vin #
------- --------------------------------
J ]─ Country of manufacture: J= Japan
H ]─ Make: H= Honda Motor Company
M ]─ Passenger car
E ┐ EG1 = D15B7
G ├─ Engine: EG2 = B16A3, B16A2
1 ┘ EH6 = D16Z6, D16Y7, D16Y8
1 ]─ Body/Transmission: 1= 2-door manual 5-speed 2= 2-door automatic
4 ]─ Vehicle series: 4= S, 6= Si, 7 or 9= VTEC
3 ]─ Check digit
S ]─ Model year: P= 1993, R= 1994, S= 1995, T= 1996, V= 1997
S ]─ Assembly plant: S= Suzuka
0 ┐
0 │
1 ├── Serial number, sequentially numbered via production output
2 │
3 |
4 ┘