Why Did Soichiro Honda Obsess Over Engines?

David Senra, reading Sol Sanders, says Soichiro Honda's obsession with engines started before he was in school. A mill about four kilometers from his house had a motor, a rare object then. Taken there on his grandfather's back, he was fascinated by the sound, the blue smoke, and the peculiar smell of oil. From those days he felt exhilaration just looking at and listening to motors. Senra notes Honda was not yet 10, and the same obsession was still there in his 70s.

The first automobile he ever saw fixed the aim. He ran after the car, caught up, and hung on to the rear. When it stopped, oil dripped onto the ground. He put his nose down, took deep breaths of the smell, and rubbed the oil over his hands and arms. From that moment the idea originated that he would one day build a car himself. Every time he heard there was an automobile on the street, he ran down to see it with the same exhilaration.