On the Podium is an occasional series in which we take a look at examples of the very best work from our industry. Today, the latest effort from the car manufacturer that leaves all others behind when it comes to its ad campaigns: Honda.

Honda adverts have always been great. It’s certainly hard to think of a bad one, and this topic sparked warm debate in the office as we argued over which has been the best. (@stevemaybury and @alexguiseley voted for the magnificent The Impossible Dream, while @thevvvv prefers the precise, multiple award-winning The Cog, both below.)

While it hasn’t been possible to buy a truly interesting car from Honda since the S2000 was discontinued in 2009, its adverts have remained inspirational throughout. You’ll be singing the tune from this touchy-feely effort for the rest of the day:

And now, Honda is coming back to forecourts with a vengeance. The long-awaited new Civic Type R hits showrooms this summer, and it looks like an absolute animal, and the firm is bringing the NSX back, invoking memories of Ayrton Senna making us all feel hugely inferior by doing this in slip-on shoes around Japan’s Suzuka track.

Meanwhile, Honda has reunited with McLaren to provide engines for this year’s Formula One season. You can just tell the brand is regaining its swagger, with the launch of this latest advert:

Yep, that’s right, a car manufacturer that has focused for years on making shopping trolleys for old people is back to talking about pushing boundaries and going faster again. And it’s brilliant.

Of course, you can’t actually encourage people to drive quickly – as Toyota found to its cost in 2012 – so Honda has neatly found a way around that, with an ingenious speed-reading trick.

It’s compulsive viewing – complete with sneak peeks of the aforementioned NSX and Civic Type R –and lends itself perfectly to being shared on social media. At the same time, it doesn’t come across as a brand trying too hard.

We love it.

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