Honda Sets Up 50th Anniversary Homage 1959 Storefront In HQ

In 1959 Honda established itself here in the U.S. selling motorcycles out of a small storefront in LA. Fifty years later, the folks at Honda erected a homage to that first little store in their U.S. headquarters. See it below.

The display inside the faux storefront includes the following:

- 1975 Civc CVCC: At 40 mpg, the 1975 Civic CVCC topped the EPA's fuel efficiency ratings and was the first car to meet the 1975 U.S. Clean Air Act standards without a catalytic converter. Available as a sedan or three-door hatchback, the Civic sold for $2,150 and garnered the title of "Import Car of the Year" by Road Test magazine.

- 1983 Honda Accord: On November 1, 1982, Honda became the first Japanese auto manufacturer to produce cars in America when a slate-gray four-door 1983 Honda Accord rolled off the assembly line at Honda of America Mfg., Inc.'s Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio.

- The 50th Anniversary Time capsule: It was engineered and manufactured by American Honda's Special Project Department and is to be opened on the 100th anniversary in 2059.

- 1959 Honda 50: One of the first Honda products sold in America, the SuperCub (renamed Honda 50 for the U.S. market) offered customers convenient transportation at a reasonable price ($250).

- 2010 Honda Fury: With chopper styling, the longest wheelbase ever in a production Honda motorcycle and a 1312cc long-stroke Honda V-twin engine, many have deemed the 2010 Fury the most radically styled production Honda motorcycle ever built.

- The Honda T10 engine: known as the "Honda Cuby", was used in the 1960s by American Honda service staff for small engine motorcycle vocational training.

- The portable E40 generator: was one of the first Honda generators sold in the U.S. by Honda's Engine, Generators and Farm (EGF) group.

- The actual first lawnmower produced in the U.S.: at Honda Power Equipment Mfg., Inc. in Swepsonville, N.C. in 1984. The HR-214 Lawnmower features OHV engine technology, electric starter, roto-stop system, and a self-propulsion system.

- Replica of HondaJet: Honda's first-ever commercial aircraft.

But to really flip your wig — here's what the rest of the lobby looks like from the inside of the storefront — just to give you an idea of where Honda's gone in the last fifty years:

From hometown to space-age.