Junkyard Gem: 1980 Honda Accord Hatchback

The Honda Accord is now in its 11th generation, closing in on a half-century since the first Saitama-built examples joined the Civic in American Honda showrooms. The first-generation 1976-1981 Accords have become thin on the ground in American junkyards in recent years, but this '80 hatchback appeared in a boneyard near Santa Cruz not long ago.

The Accord was available only in hatchback form at first, with the sedan version added for the 1979 model year in the United States market.

This exquisitely Malaise Era paint color was named Catherine Brown. The 1980 Accord was also available in such colors as Amall Blue, Longleet Gold, Saint Moritz Silver and Sophia Red.

When cars rust in coastal California, they tend to do so from the top down. The hatch on this car is pretty far gone.

The interior looks good for age 44.

Honda didn't go to six-digit odometers in its U.S.-market cars until 1981, so we can't know whether this car had 97,352 or 497,452 miles at the end. The best-traveled Accord I've ever found in a junkyard was an '88 with 626,476 miles (topped only by a 631k-mile Volvo 240, a 648k-mile Camry and a 949k-mile Avalon).

The engine is a 1751cc straight-four with the CVCC stratified-charge fuel-delivery system, rated at 68 horsepower and 94 pound-feet.

The 1980 Accords with five-speed manual transmissions got 72 horsepower, but this car has the Hondamatic automatic (a weird motorcycle-derived unit that could be considered a two-speed or a three-speed, depending on your definitions).

The curb weight of this car was a mere 2,145 pounds, roughly the same as that of the 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage. The current Accord scales in at well over 3,200 pounds, by the way.

The Jeco clock was standard equipment, unusual for such an affordable car at the time.

The MSRP for this car with Hondamatic was $6,199, or about $25,062 in 2024 dollars.

I had a 1940 Agfa Speedex film camera with me on my trip to California junkyards, as one does, and I took a few shots of this car with it.

Those JDM fender mirrors looked good on the Accord.

Honda wasn't building Accords in Ohio when this car was new (the first one rolled off the Marysville line in late 1982), but they tested them there.

Junkyard Gem: 1980 Honda Accord Hatchback

Junkyard Gem: 1980 Honda Accord Hatchback

Junkyard Gem: 1980 Honda Accord Hatchback

Junkyard Gem: 1980 Honda Accord Hatchback

Junkyard Gem: 1980 Honda Accord Hatchback