The Honda Ballade came to BL in the early months of 1980, and the company planned to create a different look for the car.
The sketches, penned by the BL Styling Department clearly show that the designers initially worked under the false assumption that they would be able to alter the car's styling - as was the case with the next collaborative venture, the Rover 216/216.
Acclaim to fame?
With smoothed-out frontal styling, the Acclaim takes on an altogether different
personality - gone is the fussy Honda Civic grille/light treatment, and in its
place a Colt Tredia/Cordia-style arrangement. To effect these changess would
have been a cheap and much-needed way of differentiating BL and Honda products.
Smoother bumpers and smoked rear lenses - again, cheap and effective changes.
Picture was created by Gordon Sked in January 1981.