Soichiro Honda, born in 1906, had a lifelong interest in automobiles, working as a mechanic at the Art Shokai garage where he tuned cars and entered them in races. In 1937, with financing from Kato Shichirō, he founded Tōkai Seiki to manufacture piston rings. Initial failures were overcome by 1941, when Honda was able to mass-produce piston rings acceptable to Toyota, using an automated process.
Following World War II, Honda sold the remains of Tōkai Seiki to Toyota and used the proceeds to found the Honda Technical Research Institute in October 1946. With a small staff, the institute began building and selling improvised motorized bicycles using surplus 50 cc Tohatsu engines. This led to the Honda A-Type, nicknamed the “Bata Bata” for the sound of its engine. In 1949, the Honda Technical Research Institute was liquidated, and the funds were used to incorporate Honda Motor Co., Ltd. The first complete motorcycle, both framed and engined by Honda, was the 1949 D-Type, the first to bear the “Dream” name.
Honda entered Formula One for the first time in 1964, both manufacturing the engine and chassis, achieving its first victory at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix, and another at the 1967 Italian Grand Prix before withdrawing after the 1968 season. The company returned as an engine manufacturer in 1983, remaining until 1992, a period of dominance with five consecutive Drivers' Championships (Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna, and Alain Prost) and six Constructors' titles with Williams and McLaren. A third stint in Formula One from 2000 to 2008 yielded 17 podiums, including one win, and second place in the 2004 constructors' standings. Honda re-entered the sport as a power unit supplier in 2015, eventually winning the World Drivers' Championship with Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing in 2021, before formally leaving after that season.
Ayrton Senna, the three-time World Champion, held Honda in high regard, stating that the company played a pivotal role in his success and referring to it as "the greatest company in the world." Senna maintained a strong relationship with Honda chairman Nobuhiko Kawamoto. In 1990, CEO Tadashi Kume was succeeded by Nobuhiko Kawamoto, a decision that saw Kawamoto chosen over Shoichiro Irimajiri, who had overseen the successful establishment of Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc. in Ohio. In 1992, facing a potential hostile takeover by Mitsubishi Motors, Kawamoto ended Honda’s successful participation in Formula One, citing costs and a desire for a more environmentally friendly image.
Soichiro Honda died in 1991. Following his death and the departure of Irimajiri, Honda faced challenges in product development and was caught off guard by the SUV boom of the 1990s, impacting the company’s profitability. In February 2025, Honda and Nissan ended merger talks, with Nissan reportedly backing out due to Honda’s proposal that Nissan become a subsidiary.
Honda has been active in motorcycle racing since the early years of the company, winning its first Grand Prix victories in the 125 cc and 250 cc categories in 1961. By 1964, Honda had become the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles. In sports car racing, Honda won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the GT2 class in 1995, and in the LMP2 category in 2010 and 2012. Honda also manufactures power equipment, including engines, and has been involved in robotics, releasing the ASIMO robot in 2000.
[unverified] The long-form study of Honda's motorsport legacy belongs to specific primary sources like Stewart's autobiography rather than this article's corpus.
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