TOKYO, Japan, February 15, 2024 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that the Honda Collection Hall (“Collection Hall”), a facility that conveys the history of Honda located at the Mobility Resort Motegi in Tochigi, Japan, will reopen on March 1, 2024, after undergoing a thorough renewal.

Honda Collection Hall official website:
https://www.mr-motegi.jp/collection-hall/ (Japanese)

In March 1998, in commemoration of the company’s 50th anniversary, Honda opened the Collection Hall as a facility designed to convey the origin of Honda to its customers. The exhibits included Honda products such as automobiles, motorcycles and power products as well as racing machines, and the Collection Hall celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.

Through the renewal, the exhibits have been advanced in a way that will enable visitors to experience the “stories of dreams and challenges” Honda has been spinning to date. Panels that chronicle Honda history from its founding are now installed on each floor, and an audio tour and available guided tour by Collection Hall staff members will enable visitors to enjoy a visual and auditory experience of the Honda Philosophy and history.

In the entrance hall on the first floor, a full-size interior mockup model of the HondaJet Elite II very light business jet is now on display, and visitors will be welcomed inside the model. Moreover, new exhibits that enable visitors to actually touch and feel Honda mobility products have been added, including an opportunity to ride the latest UNI-ONE personal mobility device.

In addition to the Collection Hall, Honda has been introducing its products and corporate activities, as well as the thoughts and passion put into them, from historical, global and motorsports perspectives at multiple exhibit and hands-on experience facilities. This includes Honda Welcome Plaza Aoyama (Minato-ku, Tokyo) and the Honda RACING Gallery^*1, which will soon open within Suzuka Circuit Park (Suzuka, Mie).

Honda will continue to offer high-quality brand experiences and communication opportunities at all points of contact with its customers, striving to make Honda a brand that will continue to be beloved by customers and fans around the world. 

*1 A successor to the Suzuka Racing Theater which concluded operation on November 30, 2023, Honda Racing Gallery is scheduled to open in Spring 2024.

The exhibition areas are divided into four sections by era, and exhibits are arranged in a way that it is easy for all visitors to understand unique characteristics of each era. In addition to exhibits of a wide range of Honda products, including motorcycles, automobiles, power products and HondaJet, as well as racing machines, new “storytelling” audio tour will be available. Visitors can use their own smartphones or a rental device available at the Collection Hall to scan the Two-dimensional code and enjoy the stories of Honda dreams and challenges. Moreover, a new exhibit that enables visitors to touch and experience Honda mobility has been added, including the ability to both go inside a full-size interior mockup model of the HondaJet Elite II and to test ride the UNI-ONE.

In the South Wing of the second floor, a story unfolds about Honda dreams and challenges during its founding period. The exhibit introduces stories of Honda's early days, started with the development of an auxiliary engine for bicycles developed at a small factory in Hamamatsu, and went on to the start of general-purpose engine business, the participation in the Isle of Man TT race, the launch of the Super Cub and the first era of F1^*2 participation. 

In the North Wing of the second floor, the exhibit showcases a number of products and racing machines that represent the era when Honda made a full-fledged entry into the automobile business and took on another challenge in F1 racing and won a number of races. Key items on display are the first-generation Civic, CVCC engine, race machines that competed in the FIM^*3 Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (MotoGP) and the second era of Honda’s F1 participation^*4.

In the South Wing of the third floor, the exhibit introduces the stories of behind-the-scenes challenges Honda took on to overcome obstacles and bounce back from adversity in the era when Honda created a number of new products, including the stories behind the development of key models such as the Legend, Honda’s first large-sized sedan, and NSX the next-generation sports car. 

In the North Wing of the third floor, the exhibit introduces the stories of new challenges Honda is taking on to create new value for the customers, including the research and development of robotics technologies, including the ASIMO humanoid robot, and the entry into the world of aviation. The visitors can witness the challenges Honda takes on to expand its mobility to new areas and pursue its dreams while maintaining its passion since the founding.

*2 FIA Formula One World Championship / FIA: Fédération Internationale de lʼAutomobile
*3 FIM Grand Prix World Championship/ FIM:Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
*4 The era Honda participated in F1 as an engine supplier, from 1983 through 1992.

Three times a year, under the title of “Garage Collection,” items that do not fit in the permanent exhibit will be brought out from storage and exhibited in the hallway areas on the second and third floors of the Collection Hall. In conjunction with the re-opening of the Collection Hall, the special exhibit titled “CB History - Part 1,” which will showcase successive generations of CB series models, will begin on re-opening day, March 1, 2024.

Exhibition period:
March 1, 2024 – June 30, 2024

Exhibition overview:
Including a number of CB series models, this special exhibit introduces the history of the CB series from its birth to the introduction of the “Dream CB750FOUR,” which became the origin of the term “Nanahan” (“750” in Japanese), a collective name for all 750cc bikes in Japan. Also on display are a number of sports bikes from Germany, the U.K. and Italy, which were popular in the 1950s and 1960s, along with the Honda CB series. 

Exhibition period:
July 6, 2024 – October 14, 2024

Exhibition overview:
Featuring the motorcycle racer replica boom that began in the 1980s, the Part 1 of this special exhibit puts a spotlight on models with a 2-stroke engine. The entire collection of NS and NSR series models owned by the Honda Collection Hall will be on display.

Exhibition period:
October 19, 2024 – March 9, 2025

Exhibition overview:
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Gold Wing, large-size premium tourer motorcycle, successive generations of Gold Wing models will be on display. This special Gold Wing exhibit includes models which have had few opportunities to be exhibited in the past, including the model designed for use in imperial events and the Honda Valkyrie, a Gold Wing-based custom bike developed for the U.S. market.
Also, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the S2000 open-top sports car, this special exhibit will showcase the very first production unit of the S2000 and other open-top models from around the world. 

The Library & Design Gallery was newly added to the Collection Hall as an open community space. The library can be used not only as an area where visitors can take a break while enjoying a variety of motorcycle and automobile magazines, but also as a space to host various workshop events. In the design gallery area, a number of product design sketches drawn by Honda designers and artworks related to Honda mobility will be on display. 

Original music created by up-and-coming composer Chiaki Kubota and performed by the instrumental music group JPCO (Japan Popular Classics Orchestra) is played as background music (BGM) in each section of the exhibition area. Visitors will enjoy the original music of the Collection Hall, which consists of four themes aligned with each era of Honda history. 

Location:
Mobility Resort Motegi
(Address: Hiyama, Motegi-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan)

Business hours: 
10:00 am to 4:30 pm (subject to change by season)

Entry price:
Free