Image courtesy 3geez wiki

We noted earlier in the Class of 1986 series that Honda made a significant move that year by introducing the upscale Acura brand in the United States. As if that weren’t enough to keep Honda hopping, the same year the company introduced the third generation of its flagship, the Accord, which we’ll consider for this week’s Class of 1986.

Introduced in 1976, the Accord ranked as Japan’s best selling car since 1982, so the redesign was no insignificant undertaking for Honda. Larger in nearly every dimension than its predecessor – 5.9-inch longer wheelbase, 3-inch longer overall length – the Accord started to move out of compact territory and into intermediate. However, it remained powered only by a four-cylinder engine: Here in the States, engine choices were limited to either the A20A1 (carbureted 98hp 2.0L) or the A20A3 (fuel-injected 110/120hp 2.0L). What Honda chose to boast about, however, was the Accord’s new four-wheel double-wishbone coil-spring suspension, which they claimed came from the company’s race experience. A five-speed manual transmission and optional four-speed automatic were available in all three trim levels – DX, LX, and LXi – as well as in both the four-door sedan and the three-door hatchback.

Maybe the Accord never enjoyed the popularity among tuners that the Civic did, but both sold like gangbusters here in the United States and around the world. In terms of collectibility, ubiquity isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Consider, for instance, the 1955-1957 Chevrolet or the first-generation Mustangs: One widely held belief among car collectors is that if it was popular when new, it’ll remain popular as a collector car. But we want to hear it from you: Would you consider adding a third-generation Honda Accord to your garage dedicated to 1986 vehicles? Or would you pass for something a little less vanilla?