This Friday (November 17) is a special day for Honda – itâ€ââ€Â¢s 100 years since Honda founder, Soichiro Honda was born.
Mr Honda may have died on August 5, 1991, but his dreams live on in all of Honda products. From the HondaJet to the humblest lawnmower, all Hondas have been infused by the DNA of that special man.
Born on November 17, 1906, the son of a blacksmith and a weaver, Soichiro was fascinated by machines and what made them work. One of his earliest memories was being enthralled by the first motor car he had ever seen.
He later said: “As the car rolled through our small village I turned and chased after that car for all I was worth. I could not understand how it could move under its own power. And when it had driven past me, without even thinking why, I found myself chasing it down the road as hard as I could run.â€ÂÂ
By the age of 15, Soichiro hadnâ€ââ€Â¢t any formal education, but he had a thirst for knowledge and what made things work. After a few years of helping his father in their bicycle repair business, Soichiro started as an apprentice at a garage, working as a car mechanic before starting his own auto repair business in 1928. Racing was an early passion. Soichiro built his first racing car with parts including a V8 aircraft engine, but he left racing in 1936 after a serious accident.
In 1948 Honda Motor Co was formed. The first Honda motorcycle – the A Type – was an early success, proving to Soichiro that motorcycles could be the answer to cheap transportation. Early machines were refined until the development of the legendary 1958 Super Cub.
A passion for racing was still in our founderâ€ââ€Â¢s blood and soon the Isle of Man TT races would provide the pedestal to advertise the quality of Hondaâ€ââ€Â¢s motorcycles. In 1954 he said: “I here avow my intention that I will participate in the TT race and I proclaim with my fellow employees that I will pour all my energy and creative powers into winning.â€ÂÂ
Two years after their debut on the island, Mike Hailwood won the Ultra-Lightweight and Lightweight TTs. Another dream was realised.
Others have since been chased, and realised: Formula 1 wins, a Formula 2 championship and countless motorcycle titles. Honda has diversified into road cars, All-Terrain Vehicles, engines, generators, outboard motors, personal watercraft, water pumps, scooters, snowblowers, robots and most recently jet aircraft.
Soichiro Honda remained president until his retirement in 1973, but he stayed on as a director and was appointed ‘supreme advisorâ€ââ€Â¢ in 1983. During his retirement, Soichiro remembered his humble roots and spent much of his time working with the Honda Foundation, which was set up to aid non-profit-making organisations which help youngsters in minority or impoverished communities. It was fitting that his was an active retirement, as both Soichiro and his wife Sachi both held private pilotâ€ââ€Â¢s licences and he also enjoyed sports as diverse as hang-gliding, ski-ing and ballooning. Long after retirement he was still often seen on the shop-floor, discussing problems with his engineers and managers.
10 famous Mr Honda quotes
“We only have one future, and it will be made of our dreams, if we have the courage to challenge convention.â€ÂÂ
“Real happiness lies in the completion of work using your own brains and skills.â€ÂÂ
“Racing improves the breed.â€ÂÂ
“What we learn through failure becomes a precious part of us, strengthening us in everything we do. So let the tough things make you tougher.â€ÂÂ
"Since I was a small child, one of my dreams has been to compete in motor vehicle races all over the world with a vehicle of my own making, and to win."
“We will not be content with this victory alone [first win in F1]. We will study why we won and aggressively apply those winning technologies to new cars.â€ÂÂ
“Enjoying your work is essential. If your work becomes an expression of your own ideas, you will surely enjoy it.â€ÂÂ
“After materials are carried into the factory, nothing but products should be carried out from it.â€ÂÂ
“If Honda does not race there is no Honda.â€ÂÂ
"Since I was a small child, one of my dreams has been to compete in motor vehicle races all over the world with a vehicle of my own making, and to win."
“Because the water raises rice and the fishes live in the water, I donâ€ââ€Â¢t want to contaminate it.â€ÂÂ
Mr Honda may have died on August 5, 1991, but his dreams live on in all of Honda products. From the HondaJet to the humblest lawnmower, all Hondas have been infused by the DNA of that special man.
Born on November 17, 1906, the son of a blacksmith and a weaver, Soichiro was fascinated by machines and what made them work. One of his earliest memories was being enthralled by the first motor car he had ever seen.
He later said: “As the car rolled through our small village I turned and chased after that car for all I was worth. I could not understand how it could move under its own power. And when it had driven past me, without even thinking why, I found myself chasing it down the road as hard as I could run.â€ÂÂ
By the age of 15, Soichiro hadnâ€ââ€Â¢t any formal education, but he had a thirst for knowledge and what made things work. After a few years of helping his father in their bicycle repair business, Soichiro started as an apprentice at a garage, working as a car mechanic before starting his own auto repair business in 1928. Racing was an early passion. Soichiro built his first racing car with parts including a V8 aircraft engine, but he left racing in 1936 after a serious accident.
In 1948 Honda Motor Co was formed. The first Honda motorcycle – the A Type – was an early success, proving to Soichiro that motorcycles could be the answer to cheap transportation. Early machines were refined until the development of the legendary 1958 Super Cub.
A passion for racing was still in our founderâ€ââ€Â¢s blood and soon the Isle of Man TT races would provide the pedestal to advertise the quality of Hondaâ€ââ€Â¢s motorcycles. In 1954 he said: “I here avow my intention that I will participate in the TT race and I proclaim with my fellow employees that I will pour all my energy and creative powers into winning.â€ÂÂ
Two years after their debut on the island, Mike Hailwood won the Ultra-Lightweight and Lightweight TTs. Another dream was realised.
Others have since been chased, and realised: Formula 1 wins, a Formula 2 championship and countless motorcycle titles. Honda has diversified into road cars, All-Terrain Vehicles, engines, generators, outboard motors, personal watercraft, water pumps, scooters, snowblowers, robots and most recently jet aircraft.
Soichiro Honda remained president until his retirement in 1973, but he stayed on as a director and was appointed ‘supreme advisorâ€ââ€Â¢ in 1983. During his retirement, Soichiro remembered his humble roots and spent much of his time working with the Honda Foundation, which was set up to aid non-profit-making organisations which help youngsters in minority or impoverished communities. It was fitting that his was an active retirement, as both Soichiro and his wife Sachi both held private pilotâ€ââ€Â¢s licences and he also enjoyed sports as diverse as hang-gliding, ski-ing and ballooning. Long after retirement he was still often seen on the shop-floor, discussing problems with his engineers and managers.
10 famous Mr Honda quotes
“We only have one future, and it will be made of our dreams, if we have the courage to challenge convention.â€ÂÂ
“Real happiness lies in the completion of work using your own brains and skills.â€ÂÂ
“Racing improves the breed.â€ÂÂ
“What we learn through failure becomes a precious part of us, strengthening us in everything we do. So let the tough things make you tougher.â€ÂÂ
"Since I was a small child, one of my dreams has been to compete in motor vehicle races all over the world with a vehicle of my own making, and to win."
“We will not be content with this victory alone [first win in F1]. We will study why we won and aggressively apply those winning technologies to new cars.â€ÂÂ
“Enjoying your work is essential. If your work becomes an expression of your own ideas, you will surely enjoy it.â€ÂÂ
“After materials are carried into the factory, nothing but products should be carried out from it.â€ÂÂ
“If Honda does not race there is no Honda.â€ÂÂ
"Since I was a small child, one of my dreams has been to compete in motor vehicle races all over the world with a vehicle of my own making, and to win."
“Because the water raises rice and the fishes live in the water, I donâ€ââ€Â¢t want to contaminate it.â€ÂÂ