Few cars are as instrumental as the Honda Civic in threatening gas-guzzling land yachts and blowing up the whole tuned imports scene in America within a span of 50 years. In Malaysia, the Civic has always been associated with our own modification culture in both boosting VTEC power and pretending to be a Type R.

Since 1972, nearly 30 million Civics have been sold in 170 countries around the globe and to call it a major success for Honda is an understatement. While the first-gen might look like a kei car in comparison to the current 11th-gen Civic FE, it was an important model for Honda; one that was meant to make or break the company.

That’s because the first Honda Civic was the result of a major shake-up in the company’s management that saw its instrumental founder stepping down to pave the way for younger successors with bigger visions.

Soichiro's imperfections

Since establishing the company that bear his name in 1948, Soichiro Honda was constantly pursuing engineering perfection whether it's in motorcycles or his biggest passion, cars. Sometimes, these attempts to be perfect were abrupting any ongoing projects which on a good day, produced Honda's first production car, the S500 sports car which was initially revealed as the S360.

Also read: This tiny Honda S360 is founder Soichiro's middle finger to Japan’s MITI

While a sports car was chosen to be Honda's first ever production car as Soichiro-san believed it would help to boost Japan's automotive industry, very few buyers bought into the S500. However, the sports car remains a rare cult classic today.

As the 1960s was about to come to a close, Honda wanted a proper car to show the world that it can make more than just well-built motorcycles. Something that is larger and more powerful than a little kei car.

Since this was intended to be Honda's "world car", Soichiro-san wanted to oversee it fully. He wanted a car that was so perfectly engineered, that he was confident it would genuinely put the company that bears his surname on the map.

Development for the Honda 1300 began in 1967 and Soichiro wanted it to be an air-cooled model that can produce ample power, comfort, and fuel economy. Hearing the word “air-cooled” left many engineers in doubt about the model’s success as every other manufacturer was using water-cooled engines but who would dare defy the immortal words of the company's founder?

Throughout the supposed gamechanger’s development, Soichiro-san would show up at the R&D Centre every day and issue instructions directly to those in charge of the respective divisions. Later on, when Toyota introduced the Mark II, Honda-san issued a new target output for the 1300’s specifications – 95 PS and a maximum speed of 175 km/h. This caused more delays for the flagship Honda's debut.

Also read: The Toyota Cressida – The precursor to Lexus that brought luxury to Malaysians

An engineer recalled, “No one could say no to the Old Man (Soichiro), and we even refrained from giving negative answers. It was as if we were actors who had to use our every resource to satisfy the producer."

Launched in 1969, the Honda 1300 would receive praises from the automotive press from all over the world but it would be a sales flop for Honda. Soichiro was placing too many eggs in his basket and although those eggs seemed perfect, the resulting omelette was a mess.

In the eyes of an engineer like Soichiro, the 1300 was a revolution on wheels, a passion project that he wanted to share with the world. However, it had its imperfections shown to buyers and behind the scenes at Honda, change was blowing in the wind.

Lifting off and never looking back

The Honda 1300's failure left a very bitter taste in Honda with many engineers wanting Soichiro-san to step down or at least be less "hands-on" in development. His "perfect" car was barely crawling at the production plant in Suzuka and when the team tasked to develop Honda's next car saw this, they knew that this upcoming model had to be revolutionary to keep their jobs and Honda's automotive dream alive.

Hence, the young development team (most were around their 20s and 30s) wanted a car that would be perfect not just for Mr Honda, but for every man, woman, and child all over the world. It must also be built to withstand the daily ins and outs of the city and with that, it was given a name best suited for the task - the Honda Civic.

Seeing how poor the air-cooled unit in the 1300 was, the team suggested that the Civic would be powered by a conventional water-cooled engine. This is to satisfy both the mandated emissions regulations and consumer’s wallets with its fuel efficiency.

It would take the interior design hallmarks of the Honda N360/800 and implement them inside. The whole "Man Maximum, Machine Minimum" philosophy plays importance here but the team faced an obstacle in the shape of Old Man Honda.

Doing so required the absence of a rear axle which wasn’t favoured by Soichiro who preferred a rigid-type suspension. Rather than simply bowing down to his decision, the team fought hard to convince him that independent suspension was the way forward.

Eventually, Old Man Honda would be convinced by his young development team's fighting spirit and approved the use of an independent rear suspension. It became clear to him that he can simply let the reins free and let the younger generation take over.

The first Civic would be launched in July 1972 to become a global smash hit and turned Honda into a household name in the car industry, much like its motorbike division. The Civic would prove to be popular in Japan among the youths with a peak of 80,000 units sold in 1973.

Its American launch timing was also just right as high fuel prices and environmental regulations meant that buyers were visiting Honda dealers in droves. While other carmakers had to resort to expensive changes to meet new emissions and fuel regulations, the Civic’s CVCC engine which was able to run on any kind of fuel effortlessly made Honda a winner.

Also read: 50 years and 11 generations later, which is the best generation of the Honda Civic?

Soichiro’s dream of a Honda car that would define the company proved to bear some fruit but the Civic wasn’t his perfect project in his eyes. The man whose name is on the marquee would step down as president in 1971, a year before the Civic’s debut.

During the 25th anniversary of Honda’s establishment in 1973, Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa both announced their retirement and became the company’s “Supreme Advisors”. By this time, Honda’s automobile division was already booming and it’s all thanks to the Civic which is still going strong today, even as rivals falter.

Also read: How does the Honda Civic continue its rise when rivals like the Preve, Lancer, and Sylphy failed?