The Honda Prelude Was Controversial In Japan Because Of Something Called The 'Pervert Lever' jalopnik.com

People in America have fond memories of the Prelude, which is why finding out that it was a flop in Japan is so hard to imagine.
What’s even harder to wrap your head around is part of why: it had a “pervert lever.” Wait, what?
The Prelude ended up being part of a new category of cars, sporty cars with sleek looks, lots of tech, but not necessarily stellar performance.
Here, the passenger’s seat lever is on the inner side of the seat, meaning it’s accessible most easily by the person in the driver’s seat.
Japanese people weren’t fooled though; they nicknamed it 「スケべレバー」, aka the ‘Pervert Lever.’”AdvertisementThe Pervert Lever.