Acura Legend History

The Acura Legend launched alongside the Integra in spring 1986 as one of the two debut models that established Honda's new luxury division. The first-generation sedan used a 2.7-liter SOHC V6 and was joined by a two-door coupe for 1987. By 1990 Acura had become one of the best-selling luxury brands in the United States, outselling BMW and Mercedes-Benz on the strength of the Legend's value proposition and reliability.

A substantially larger and more refined second generation arrived for the 1991 model year, growing to a 3.2-liter V6 and adding a more athletic GS coupe variant. Production of the Legend ran through the 1995 model year, after which the nameplate was retired and replaced for 1996 by the Acura 3.5RL (later simply the RL).