This Rare Honda CRX Convertible Deserves Some TLC, and It’s for Sale
Honda’s classic sport compact looks brilliant with the top down. But it’d look even better with you behind the wheel.
The Honda CRX is lauded as a fun sport compact, and one of the finest in its class back in the 1980s. This success also spawned an extremely rare convertible version. Now, one such example is up for sale in Colorado, and it could really use a good home.
The car in question is a Honda CRX Straman, which the seller states is from 1987. As shared via Obscure Cars for Sale, it's up for sale on Facebook Marketplace for the achievable sum of $5,800. It's an aftermarket soft-top conversion manufactured by custom shop Straman Coachworks, well known in the 1980s for their custom Camaro drop-tops. The result is a striking, angular convertible that looks quite unlike anything else on the road today. Word on the street is that about 310 examples were built in the decade, and unsurprisingly a much smaller number have survived until today.
The Straman CRXs have a fatal flaw, according to the seller. The basic engineering is considered to be of a good standard, but the reinforcing members added to the body to compensate for the roof removal are prone to rusting out. This example shows a significant amount of decay underneath requiring prompt attention.
That's not to say the car isn't worth saving, though. For a start, it's an incredibly rare vehicle, and it looks the business to boot. This example is handsome, finished in a blue-over-grey two-tone design, and it wears a nice set of Honda alloy wheels, too. The soft top nicely matches the body color and appears to be intact with a clear rear window. It rides high, but it's a rather fetching look. Lowering it would likely be a straightforward matter if so desired, anyway.
The seller indicates the car is a carbureted model. Along with the listing photos, this leads us to believe the car is rocking Honda's 1.5-liter EW1 engine. The powertrain may not line up with what Honda offered in the 1987 model year, but it's possible Straman sold the CRX after a lengthy conversion, having been built on a slightly older example.
The 12-valve, single-overhead-cam engine wasn't particularly high-tech at the time, only delivering 76 horsepower. However, the CRX's saving grace was a curb weight under 1,900 pounds. The convertible version likely adds a bit of additional weight, but it's still a featherweight compared to today's vehicles. The humble engine is paired with a five-speed manual for your shifting pleasure.
Inside, the car looks remarkably intact. The interior combines blues with greys, much like the exterior, and most of it appears to be in fairly good condition, barring a filthy driver's side floor mat. The gauge cluster has that orange 1980s charm and bears 113,000 miles on the clock. There are no major cracks visible on the dash, which is particularly impressive for a convertible, and the stereo is nicely matched to the interior, too.
Getting this car back into roadworthy shape won't be easy, but you'd have a surefire Radwood favorite on your hands if you made the investment. In the seller's photos, the sun is very much setting on this rare Honda classic, but it doesn't have to be that way. Take a trailer down to Colorado Springs and help this cabriolet get back out on the streets next summer. We'll all be cheering you on.
Got a tip? Let the author know: lewin@thedrive.com
