Honda Accordion - Lemons Car
The Honda Accordian is a 2004 Honda Accord that finished it's street car life when it was gifted to a teenager for their first car. Two weeks later, said teenager was texting and driving and drove it into a prius. The teenagers father bought the car with plans to "sell it for what it's worth" and then promptly forgot about it.
Fast forward ten years and I'm helping said father clear out his property for sale... and what do I see...
Why is that a Honda Accord in those blackberries? Yeah I'm pretty damn sure you can't see it, but the blackberries had long since consumed the Honda Accord. It needed to go, but Tim "knew what it was worth" so there it sat... unti 3 days before he had to get it off the property, when he sold it to me for $350.
We yanked the Accord out of the bramble and into the lumberyard so as we could assess the damage and see what the car would do. Would it start? Would it drive? Would it do anything?
Honestly, the car wouldn't do shit. It was all bashed in up front, bent out of shape, and in general in terrible condition. But we had a tractor.. and we had a chain... so we pulled the car into straightish condition, put a battery in it... and it ran! One ebay radiator and some random hoses later... we had a running driving albiet smashed up car.
Just like I don't find dogs, they find me... I didn't seek out this puppy, it found me... and the name came to us quickly as well. What's a scrunched up Accord? An ACCORDION! Why we can play amazing accordion music out the back of the car for everyone behnd us to enjoy!
...and thus a monster was born.
This car has since been built for Lemons racing, along with being a fun autosports toy of low consequence and friendly handling to ease folks into track days.It continues to be built by a bunch of friends of varying automotive experience ranging from a professional fabricator to "let's only give them a stubby ratchet". It also provides excellent opportunities for folks to learn how to wrench on a car, as the consequences are much much lower on a lemons car. In general this car isn't just a sub $500 beater for racing lemons... it fits the spirit of lemons. Real racing, for real people.
Sure the Accordion may have an automatic transmission that JD Power once described as "The Worst Thing Honda Ever produced"... and a motor meant for getting kids to soccer practice when you're running late... but what it has is heart... and a lot of cooling, and a $50 accusump we had to de-glitter the inside... but beyond all that racey stuff, it also has a soul... and speakers that play accordion music out the back to spread the joys of gods great gift to man kind: the Accordion.
This car was never meant to do this, but here it is living it's best life and cackling all the way to the cold pits for a repair. This is a Lemons car through and through. Ramen.