The idea, of course, was to win over the grassroots enthusiast. Henry Goode, then Honda's US competition parts program manager, told Auto X magazine that Honda intended to "establish a presence in grassroots motorsports. We believe that autocrossing as a 'grassroots motorsport' is one of the few remaining forms of racing that is still affordable and exhilarating."
Honda engaged its dealer network, the first enthusiasts in the chain, in the effort. The program was open to all dealers, Goode says, noting only a requirement to purchase an initial inventory of Mugen parts and a request to attend and support local grassroots racing events.
A small cadre of dealers inclined to the growing Honda track scene quickly moved up to MPC status. Goode recalls about 50 MPC dealers in the country's major metro areas, although Zellner, whose King Honda in Wisconsin was among the first on the MPC roster, remembers that number closer to seven or eight. Whatever the actual number, they all shared one thing in common.
"Most of the MPC dealers loved grassroots racing," Uno says. "They were enjoying this work as a labor of love, without looking for any real profit. This is work you can't do if you don't love motorsports."
Many Honda dealers were slow to catch on to the new parts from Japan, however. Grassroots racing people knew the brand well, Uno recalls, but "on the other hand, this was before Mugen was involved in Formula One. 'What is Mugen?' I got that question a lot."
Part of the problem was timing. Zellner reminds us this was 1984 to 1985. Honda had only been seeping into American consumer consciousness for a decade. It would still be another year or two before Acura would arrive to stake out Honda's performance ground. To most Americans, Honda made affordable, fuel-efficient econoboxes. Uno says that first season in particular was a struggle.
"It was a very difficult, challenging year. I was doing something different every day, which was fun. I had to do many things: answer questions from enthusiasts, prepare race cars, make catalogs and even contracts. But I wasn't used to speaking English and I had to explain many things over the phone."
The program would continue until about the end of 1986, creating fans of SCCA weekend warriors and laying the foundation for the rebirth of Mugen's catalog 10 years later. Even if they knew, no one will say for sure why the partnership folded. Zellner offers that Honda and Mugen realized they lacked the manpower and tech support to continue growing the brand.
An early champion of the brand and personal friend of Hirotoshi Honda, Zellner assumed the exclusive North American distributorship for Mugen products, an arrangement still in place nearly 20 years later. "We had been running Mugen for years," Zellner says of his racing efforts. "We knew the parts."
At the 2006 SEMA show, Honda unveiled a limited edition Mugen Civic Si sedan. As though the factory sedan wasn't hot enough news when released earlier last year, the Mugen Si ships with aero kit, sports suspension and 18-inch forged GP-series wheels.
Coupled with a new Los Angeles-area address for Mugen North America, the SEMA debut looks like Honda's none-too-subtle way of reintroducing its performance credentials to a new generation brought up on Gran Turismo, Scion marketing and rally racing.
Could a parts counter at your local Honda dealer, complete with warranties and maintenance, be far behind? If anyone knows, they aren't saying.
"I have been away from Mugen since 2002," Uno says. "I have my own company called SACLAM and we do tuning parts for European sports cars. I don't know about the new Mugen projects. But I do hope the North American people think of them as a great sports car company, and the market receives them well."
1984 Honda CRX DX
Engine
Engine Code: D15A2
Type: 1488cc in-line four, aluminum block and head, SOHC, three valves per cylinder
Internal Modifications: Mugen camshaft, polished valves and springs
External Modifications: Mugen 4-2-1 exhaust manifold, dual exhaust
Drivetrain
Layout: Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive
Drivetrain Modifications: Mugen clutch-type limited-slip differential
Suspension
Front: Mugen/Showa sports damper kit, MacPherson struts, lower lateral arms, torsion bars, anti-roll bar
Rear: Mugen/Showa sports damper kit, beam axle with integral anti-roll bar, trailing arms, Panhard rod
Brakes
Front: 9.1-in. stock vented disc, Mugen brake pads
Rear: 7.1-in. stock drums
External
Wheels: Mugen 13x5.5 CF-48
Tires: Bridgestone Potenza RE71, 205/60R13
Body: Mugen Aero Line body kit: front bumper spoiler, front fender (R/L), front upper panel, side skirt (R/L), rear fender (R/L), rear bumper, Air Spoiler rear spoiler
Interior: Mugen steering wheel assembly
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