Hey. Want a great-handling car while saving some bucks? Look no further than the Honda dealership! If YOU have a job, a checking account, and have been cleared of all felony charges, the plaid-wearing salesguy is ready to strike a deal for NO MONEY DOWN and NO CREDIT CHECK. Let's step inside.

Here we have one of the underdogs of Gran Turismo. Let's face it, the del Sol is not always chosen over its famous cousin, the Civic hatchback. This is true in the game or in real-life. Not that the del Sol is a bad car..in some ways it is slightly superior to the Civic, matter of fact. The del Sol is also known as the "Civic del Sol", since it is based on the Civic platform. Sometimes, it is also called the "CR-X del Sol", and sometimes, the "Civic CR-X del Sol". Confusing. Whatever we call it, the Honda del Sol went on sale to replace the CR-X in 1992, although neither car made great sales. In America, just 75,000 del Sols were sold from 1993 till its death in 1998.

There are several models in our games. GT1 and GT2 both have S and Si versions, while GT2 adds the '95 SiR, Mugen Pro. III and a VGi version. The S has a 1.5 liter engine in real-life, with 13" steel wheels, while the Si has a slightly larger 1.6 and 14" alloys, which are lighter than the S car's steel wheels. The VGi is apparently not any better than the S--at best, both have about 184 horses, yet the VGi winds up weighing slightly more. The SiR and the Si eventually can make about the same power in GT2 (245-ish hp), but since the SiR winds up weighing about 120 pounds more with full upgrades, the Si winds up being the best buy. There is also a fantasy car: the highly-sought Honda del Sol LM, which appears in GT1 and 2, but doesn't appear in later games.

 In GT3, 4, and 5, PD scaled way back, and no longer offers as many del Sols. Now we have the '92 Honda del Sol SiR, which features a VTEC engine, and that's it. It is the top-line version, the King of the del Sols, so perhaps PD and/or Honda didn't feel the need to offer anything less. 

Any del Sol in any game boasts lines that are vaguely Italian, yet definitely still Japanese. A pure Italian design would have something weird about it, after all, and though the del Sol is not 'weird', it is also not ordinary. Body overhangs are minimal, the shape is jelly-beany-cute rather than threatening or intimidating. This is a chick car, big time. Despite this, the del Sol is not bad in the handling department, and is all about hugging the road. We've got a lot of lateral stability here, while cornering. Recently I got behind the wheel of an LM edition, which is an entirely different ballgame -- like comparing a bicycle to a spaceship, yet even the LM shares the civilian car's habit of road-gripping.

As far as front-drive sports cars go, the del Sol is one of the easiest to drive, making it optimum for a beginner. Really, any low-powered Hondas will do for an absolute beginner, but the del Sol is only 49" tall, and maneuvers a little better than a Civic hatchback since it doesn't lean as much thru corners in some games, and offers some extra stability over bumps, due to some extra weight the hatch does not usually have. Even if somebody has never driven a single videogame car ever in his/her life, chances are that person could eventually handle a del Sol, which makes the chances of learning more demanding cars later on both desireable and also familiar...after all, what was your first car in real-life? Chances are it was some cheap hand-me-down, right? You didn't just jump into an intimidating turbo-driven death machine, did you? ... So rests my case that this Honda (among several other front-drive econocars)  is perfect for n00bs in Gran Turismo.

For the experienced driver, the del Sol can be fun to drive amongst other under-powered autos on days when you don't feel like tearing around courses at breakneck speeds. Its small size and drama-free handling can be a plus when trying to squeeze thru a group of sim cars as the road twists and turns.

Like the CR-X, the del Sol was in production for just a few short years. It looks tasteful and distinctive (the del Sol does), can be bought used or new quite affordably (depends which game you have: GT3 hasn't got a used car lot, while GT4 & 5 feature only used del Sols). Even in GT5, where the price of an SiR has now risen from four figures to five, this one doesn't cost that much more than some other JDMs from its era. This car also comes in a variety of colors. Its medium-light weight is a major bonus. If it weren't so under-powered, weight reductions wouldn't be necessary; but as things are, it could lose some weight in GT1. I imagine that any of the del Sols in later games won't need pounds taken off immediately, since these cars have more of a chance of competing successfully in more early race series.

Finally, for those who have managed to win the del Sol LM, I'm sure few were displeased. If you haven't won and driven it, trust me...it is as good as all the rumors say. It is unfortunately (for me) too easy to win races in this car, which has one of the lowest power-to-weight ratios in any GT game. Somewhere in the Top 10. So whenever I hear of someone winning winning winning in a del Sol LM, all I can think is cheater cheater cheater. The LM can be challenging if it's raced on stock or sports tires, but it handles and grips so well, displaying hardly any mid-engine behavior at all, sometimes even this limit seems too easy...especially during enduros. In comparison, the Honda S2000 GT1 is a bit more of a challenge to drive on these tires. Sheesh.

...Uh, I think I went off topic. The salesdude is handing us some sort of brochure on racing. Let's pay attention.

 

Now we need to break out the pocket-book, wallet, Visa card...whatever you got. It's time to unload some dough. The initial purchase (the car itself) may have been a blue-light special bargain, but it won't always be cheap to upgrade in the long run.

The del Sol S engine (GT1 & 2) will rev nice and high, but lacks both torque and power. Zero to 60 mph in 10.9 seconds is below average, even for a front-drive. Zero to 100 mph in 22.4 seconds, plus the car's top speed of 143 mph are okay, but can use some help. The Si, in comparison, reaches 60 in 8.7 seconds, 100 mph in 22.2 seconds, and can make a top speed of 156 miles per hour. Better... yet still lacking.

Depending which model and game, the engine can be tuned to NA Stage 2 or 3 (no turbos, unfortunately), but to do so requires that we shell out over $80,000 in the first game for full Stage 2 tuning. For some, it might be best to just leave the del Sol at Stage 1 and buy a faster car with all the money saved! The del Sol Si, SiR, or VGi start with more initial power, simply because their motors have better valve gas/airflow, so these are better buys for those wanting more speed. Obviously. Duh.

In GT1, intake / exhaust equipment can be changed, but anything past the sports level is a waste of money for anyone but Honda lovers, in my opinionated opinion. With Stage 2 tuning, sports parts, ROM computer chip, and other refinements, this 4-cylinder is only producing 161 hp, with a total of 114 ft-lbs. of torque! Which is fine for an up and coming driver, but it's just not very cost-effective to fully tune either the engine or the drivetrain, especially in GT1, since the car will barely be able to keep up in anything past the Clubman series of races unless someone's bank account gets drained.

Drivers who are racing these cars in GT2 will have more options...more opportunity to win money, so it makes sense to fully mod a del Sol in this game, but it still won't be cheap. GT3 won't give us the highest options. A del Sol SiR will only accept Stage 2 parts at the most--again, no turbos here. It can smash some Beginner's League races in this game (Sunday, Clubman, FF Series, Spiders & Roadsters, and NA Tune) but can't get much further.

The gearbox is a bit tall, which is great for overall speed, but I found my del Sol was constantly dropping below optimum torque during races before I put a close-ratio unit in. Closer gearing is spaced apart evenly in all games, and uses the engine's lack of power as efficiently as it can. The racing gearbox and more advanced drivetrain parts rarely become fully necessary. Personally, I like going the economical route here. Money saved is money earned, and all that.