Honda Announces Classic Car Parts Program – Which Other Automakers Are Keeping Past Glory Alive?

One of the biggest challenges facing classic car owners is parts availability. Even for more recent old-school models, like those hailing the 1990s era, owners can sometimes run into problems sourcing replacement parts, either factory or aftermarket. Simple pieces like window switches and interior trim, and more important items such as suspension components and driveline parts, all run the risk of being discontinued, leaving owners in the lurch as they scour scrap yards for decent used replacements or scan online forums and Facebook groups of enthusiasts sitting on new-old-stock.

It’s with this in mind that many automotive brands are jumping on the classic support bandwagon. This is great news because this support was once the exclusive province of prestige badges seeking to placate deep-pocketed customers willing to pay top dollar to restore their beloved rides, but now classic OEM parts and expertise will be available to a wider range of collectors.

Japanese Brands Getting in on the Action

Japanese automakers are the newest kids on the block when it comes to classic car support, offering a mix of limited parts programs and full-on restoration efforts for very specific models.

Honda announced just this past summer that it will be producing brand new parts for the first-generation Honda/Acura NSX supercar. This program is possible thanks to new technologies that made it financially feasible to produce small batches of very specialized parts, keeping them relatively affordable while also matching the quality of the replacements with the performance of the originals. Honda is sunsetting its previous NSX-focused “refresh” option that allowed owners to send their cars to the mothership for refurbishment (although if you live in Japan, you can still get trained Honda techs to work on your NSX, under the auspices of the new program).

The automaker ran a test plan along similar lines in the Japanese home market for the Beat, its kei roadster, back in 2017. It plans to further expand its parts production past the NSX and the Beat to eventually encompass other sports cars built by the brand, all under the same umbrella.

Honda is following in the footsteps of Mazda, which began offering North American owners more than 1,000 parts for early versions MX-5 Miata in 2019. This came after a successful launch of extensive Miata parts support under the Roadster Restore program in Japan a few years earlier. Since that time, the FC and FD-generation RX-7 sports car has also been given the green light for parts reproduction, although that has largely been restricted to Japanese owners.

Nissan also provides NISMO Heritage parts for the R32, R33, and R34 generations of the Skyline coupe. This program began as an offshoot of its extremely expensive (think half-a-million dollars Canadian) Skyline restoration service that began back in 2017. At first, just a few hundred parts were available exclusively for R32 owners, but today it has expanded to cover much more ground.

Finally, there’s Toyota, which placed classic support under the supervision of its Gazoo Racing division back in 2020. The program began with a smattering of parts for the ultra-rare 2000GT, but then broadened to include the third and fourth-generation Toyota Supra. By now, it’s grown to offer a small batch of parts for AE86 Corollas as well as the 60 through 80 series Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs. The company is actively seeking out feedback from owners as to what replacement components it should put back into production next.

European Automakers Are Heavily Invested In Classic Support

European automakers have been in the classic car support business for many years, and as such, these programs often take on a much more comprehensive form.

Mercedes-Benz Classic operates two major restoration centers — one in Germany and one in the United States — and offers a huge range of services to owners of old-school Silver Star owners. These range from verification and validation of the heritage of a particular model all the way up to nuts-and-bolts restorations using original parts. For those who want to turn their own wrench, Mercedes-Benz Classic offers a huge catalogue of 50,000 parts that can be ordered for older cars, and it is continually adding new components to this list.

Porsche is another German brand with a similarly deep bench when it comes to keeping classics on the road. Like Mercedes-Benz, the company is keen on producing parts for its older models, and it’s been growing a list of “Porsche Classic Partners” that are certified to restore and repair these vehicles (on top of the identification and information support and its factory restoration services found under the Porsche Classic umbrella). Other brands with similar operations include Lamborghini (through the Polo Storico program) and the combined forces of Jaguar and Land Rover (via Jaguar Land Rover Classic). Aston Martin Works is also fairly good at backing up much of the older Aston Martin lineup with parts access, on top of its full restoration services.

Ferrari is in the classic game with Ferrari Classiche, but it’s important to note that the focus is almost entirely on in-house rebuilding as well as vehicle validation and information. Stellantis Heritage — which covers Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, and Abarth vehicles — follows a similar playbook.

Where’s Detroit in All of This?

It might surprise you at first to discover that nearly all of the automakers operating classic car restoration and parts support programs hail from overseas. Zoom out, however, and you’ll discover an embarrassment of riches on the aftermarket for North American manufacturers like Ford and Chevrolet. It’s even possible to purchase complete steel bodies for many popular American collector cars and trucks, a fact that has largely kept Detroit’s efforts in this area restricted to providing build information and other data assistance to owners.