There once was a man named Dave who had a '91 NSX and loved it. The problem was it cost too much to maintain, and he was petrified of the car receiving the slightest nick. When the money and the angst got too much, after 1,800 miles, he got rid of it. The car he replaced it with is far, far more interesting: a mid-engined RWD mash-up of a 97 Prelude VTEC and 94 Integra GSR.

His only goal was to build a car that rode and handled well with decent performance. Call it an NSX that wouldn't slaughter the piggy bank and that can be parked in a mall lot without its owner breaking into a sweat. After two months of R&D, the Frankenstein began. Dave doesn't give exact numbers but does indicate a budget of $10K, a total weight of 2,700 lbs, and 45/55 weight distribution.

Check out the link for finished pictures, and you can read the entire conversion story with pics written by Dave himself here.

[Source: Team Integra]

Still looking for a way to impress that special someone with that million dollars burning a hole in your pocket? How about this, the "Prelude to a Kiss" Valentine's Day package at the Taj Hotel in Boston?

The whole shebang includes an overnight stay in the presidential suite, a romantic six-course dinner for two, plus a few extra perks including a diamond necklace with matching earrings for her, a set of gold cufflinks for him, and a Bentley Continental GT in black with red leather interior thrown in just for good measure. It also includes breakfast in the morning, rose petals on the bed, and ballroom dancing lessons.

The package will cost you $1,069,000, of which $193,000 pays for the Bentley and some $866,000 goes towards the bling. "Prelude to a Kiss" is right... if that doesn't do the trick, we don't know what will.

Want more information? Click here for a PDF on the full package.

Thanks for the tip, Stu!

[Source: German Car Scene]

Reader/Flickr member blodi admits up front that he no longer owns the car above. We're gonna let that slide, because seriously, it doesn't get much better than this. He bought the Prelude from a buddy for $50.00. That's right -- fifty bucks. The flat black paint was already in place when he took possession, but despite the looks, everything else ran fine.

Then he went to work.

Blodi, a design student at the time, bought 75 pounds of sheetmetal and fashioned the ultra-fast-looking rear wing. Then he had his friends give him any decals they had lying around and applied them. The enormous GM Performance Parts stickers are pure hilarity. Next up was a trip to the local Home Depot, where a Rubbermaid tub was acquired and sacrificed to make the monster hood scoop. A pair of paint roller trays got the matte black treatment and became side scoops. The grille was painted Public Works orange, and a set of underhood strobes was installed to wow onlookers at import events. Bonus points for the smashed front bumper and perma-wink up front, and "Balls-Out!" spelled out on the rear bumper. The Prelude was dubbed "The Executioner." Today, we dub it the Beater Ride of the Day. Balls-out, indeed.

Read Blodi's description of the car after the jump.

UPDATE: Blodi's decidedly-not-a-beater '91 Acura NSX was both an RR of the Day and an RR of the Week back in September 2006. Never, ever do this to the NSX, okay, blodi? (But if do you go nuts and turn it into "The Executioner II," make sure you send photos.)

When Honda introduced the Prelude in 1978, it was a strong indicator that the Japanese automaker wanted to move beyond its mundane, econo-box image. Over the next 23 years, the Prelude would go through five iterations and serve as a rolling test bed for Honda's R&D. The third generation Prelude received VTEC technology right after it was introduced in the NSX and it still has the distinction of being the only vehicle offered with an entirely mechanical four-wheel steering system. In 1987, Road & Track wrapped up testing the 1988 2.0Si 4WS version and realized that it's slalom figures eclipsed every vehicle they tested that year, including the Corvette, the new 911, and a couple Italian marques by the name of Lamborghini and Ferrari. It was a coup, but alas, all good things must come to an end.

Like all of Honda's products over the years, the Prelude got fat and with the popularity of the Acura Integra, Honda decided to axe the Prelude in 2001. However, a dedicated group on enthusiasts still hold the Honda in high standing and when it comes to the portly fifth-generation model, the best way to shed the pounds is to add some boost.

That's the tactic Flickr member smlude took when preparing his 2000 Prelude for cone-duty and judging by the list of mods after the jump, no freakin' expense was spared.

A few highlights from the mod list include a Jackson Racing supercharger, a Mugen header, coupled to Mugen cat-back exhaust, AEM cold air intake, cam gears and power pulleys, a lightweight flywheel and a JDM SIR-S Spec LSD-equipped tranny. That's maybe ten-percent of what's under the hood. On the suspension side of the equation, a Mugen Type S coilover kit drops the 'Lude about one-inch for street duty and is swapped out for a Ground Control setup when the owner hits the track. Brembo rotors and PBR ceramic pads handle the stoppage duties, and a Spoon rear strut bar firms things out in back.

The list goes on and on and on, and we didn't even get to the exterior and interior additions. Although one thing we particularly liked was the fact that the OEM stereo remains. Way to keep it real smlude.

The exhaustive list of modifications is posted after the jump, along with a few more pics of the Prelude getting its weekly parking lot workout.

NEXT WEEK'S THEME: Cars of the '80s!
Break out the leg warmers and your old Atari 2600, because we're going back to the '80s for our next RR of the Day theme. All next week we want to feature glorious cars from the decade that brought us the rise of Kevin Bacon as an actor and synthesized music as an art form. If you have a vehicle that originates from the 1980s, submit it to our Autoblog Flickr Pool to be considered for a RR of the Day feature. Man, it's gonna be a rad week.

We've performed a few drivetrain swaps in our time, but nothing quite measures up to Honda-tech.com's "preluderacecar" and his 1993 Honda Prelude. Apparently not satisfied with the stock H22 or its orientation in the vehicle, it was yanked and replaced with the ubiquitous GM LS1 (quickly becoming the go-to choice for engine swaps due to its size, weight, and aftermarket support). It's backed by a T56 six-speed manual, which hides in a custom-fabricated tunnel. He also fabricated an independent rear suspension setup from RX7 components. Up front, the steering rack was relocated in front of the axle centerline and replaced with a Cavalier part, along with some 5th-gen Prelude components.

The sheer volume of fabrication required for this project is awesome, and is even more impressive considering that the guy is only 21 years old. Sure, there will be some folks who will be compelled to pile on the hate, but we're guessing none of them would ever have the guts to attempt a project of similar magnitude.

[Source: Honda-tech.com; a hat tip to Autoblog alumni Dave Ko]