While on Threads today, I was reminded of something that quietly faded into oblivion: front-wheel-drive two-door coupes. These cars were ubiquitous from the 1980s through the 2000s, then slowly started to disappear. Does anyone actually miss them?

Ah, the coupe. Inherently impractical, but usually sportier and more svelte than a sedan or hatchback. I mean, you wouldn’t want a family sedan, now would you? And a hatchback? I mean, all Americans know those are just economy cars! Of course, this is said in jest, but it was also the way many people felt (and still feel) about these cars.

I was born in the 1970s, grew up in the 1980s, and our family always erred on the practical side of cars, so we only had two two-door FWD coupes. In 1990, we took delivery of a new-for-1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse. Eventually, we had a ’94, too. While these were arguably liftbacks (hatchbacks?), they were part of the crop of sporty FWD 1990s coupes.

But even before the 2+2 FWD coupe/liftback craze of the 1990s (think Acura Integra, Ford Probe, Mazda MX-6, Nissan 200SX, Toyota Celica, and the list goes on), there were two-door Chevrolet Cavaliers, Nissan Sentras, Honda Civics/Accords/Preludes, and Toyota Tercel/Camrys—and many more, most available from the 1980s and on. All these were available with two doors and a trunk, or at least that liftback configuration. Frankly, pretty much every manufacturer had FWD coupes. Some were simply variations of their sedan brethren.

The Collapse of the FWD Coupe Style

Sometime in the early-to-mid 2000s, the FWD coupe waned in popularity. Perhaps this was due to the increased interest in crossovers. But slowly, almost silently, this platform went away. For example, the Honda Prelude went away in 2001, and in 2006, the Acura RSX vanished. The Toyota Camry Solara went the way of the dodo bird in 2008. In 2009, Chevy nixed the Cobalt—including the coupe version. Nissan also dropped its not-so-popular Altima Coupe in ’13. Gradually, FWD coupes were fading away.

Some marques soldiered on longer, such as the Hyundai Elantra Coupe, which was offered until 2014. The Toyota-made Scion tC stuck around until 2016. Kia made its Forte Koup until 2016, too. You might be thinking, “What about the Hyundai Veloster?” Yeah, it was made until 2022, but it was more of a hatchback than a true coupe, and it had that third door.

The last two-door FWD coupe sold in the U.S. (not including that Veloster) was the 2020 Honda Civic. I’m not saying the appearance of Covid-19 and the disappearance of the FWD two-door coupe are related, but I’m just sayin’ …

According to Reddit, the disappearance of the Civic coupe marked the first time the North American market was without such a body style since 1966 and the introduction of the Oldsmobile Toronado. Yes, I can hear some of you in the back row: the 1929 Cord L29 was the first widely available FWD car. But it would’ve been a niche luxury car at the time.

Our FWD Coupes Were Few and Far Between

Neither Mercedes nor I ever fully embraced the FWD coupe thing; we’ve always been more hatchback people. But we weren’t without some participation.

In the late 1990s, Mercedes owned a mid-1990s Nissan Sentra E coupe. “E stands for ‘everything is missing’ as far as features. It was a stripped-down model with crank windows, black bumpers, and had a four-speed manual,” she said. Unsurprisingly, we don’t have any photos of this true economy car.

My first FWD coupe was a 1998 Honda Civic EX (seen above at the right). After having a wretched experience with a then-new 2001 Ford Focus, I traded it in on a used ’98 Civic EX with the slick-shifting five-speed. It got the full intake, header, exhaust treatment, H&R lowering springs, a rear swaybar, front lip, custom wheels and tires, and a stereo. And like many modified Civics from that era, it got stolen. It was, however, recovered, albeit missing most of the custom bits. Regardless, I had it fixed, sold it to a friend (who sold it to another friend), and ended up with another two-door coupe.

After the Civic, I bought a 1998 Honda Prelude Type SH (seen at above left). This thing felt like a rocket ship compared to the 1.6-liter SOHC Civic EX coupe. With the lauded H22 2.2-liter DOHC VTEC engine, it hauled and sounded great. It came with Skunk2 coilovers and the optional front lip, but I added a DC Sports intake, Tsudo cat-back exhaust, and Atech Finalspeed wheels wrapped in Yokohama Parada tires. It looked great and handled even better. This is the car Mercedes and I had when we got married back in 2004. However, as a 25-year-old with a long commute, the requirement for premium fuel and 21 MPG was killing me, so I sold it and bought a 2005 Scion xB. The Prelude was the last coupe we owned.

Will FWD Coupes Fade Have a Resurgence?

Unfortunately, I inherited a desire for practical automobiles. The FWD coupe thing never really did it for me and likely never will. We’ve mostly had hatchbacks, wagons, vans, or sedans, which will probably continue. And despite the FWD coupe’s run of popularity, it’ll likely fade into the annals of automotive history. Will it ever make a comeback? Perhaps. Rumor has it, the soon-to-be-released Honda Prelude hybrid coupe will feature standard FWD with and AWD option. Will this car create a resurgence in FWD coupes? Doubtful. And I’m OK with that.