Impulsive buyer? How about this uncommon Isuzu that literally has Impulse in its name?
Also known as the Piazza in other parts of the world, the Impulse was penned by legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro–the same man who styled icons like the DMC DeLorean, Fiat Dino Coupe and Lotus Esprit.
This particular example from 1985 shows only 22,200 miles on the …
Man, how did that ever surrvive?
Box flares and about 300 hp... 
Those were rear wheel drive too.
BITD, we did a story on one set up for rally.
Great looking Guigairo design, and how can you not love that dashboard? I miss the 80s when Japanese cars were weird.
In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
Very true. They had a similar vibe but were their own animals.
I worked at the dealer doing new car prep on these; if you ever bought one in Vegas it was "Slalom Tested" in the back lot by me.
While they weren't amazing they were still fun and I'm still fond of them. Isuzu actually built some cools cars, many of which we didn't get in the USA.
What could have been the second gen Scirocco, but VW decided to stay in-house for its design themes.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:Those were rear wheel drive too.
They were Chevettes, more or less.
I had an '85 Turbo, which got you rear disk brakes, a 4 link suspension in the rear, and a way to concentrate even more heat in the cylinder head between the #2 and #3 exhaust valves so the head could crack even faster.
Certainly cool cars from back in the day, but best viewed through the hazy lens of nostalgia. A good friend bought a brand new Impulse Turbo straight out of college in '85. It didn't last long, and I'm not sure he wouldn't refer to it as a total piece of E36M3.
Sold for $9500.
Chevette front brakes but with a vented rotor and same upright/spindle. Same later used on the Pontiac Fiero. When I built my first LoCost 7 replica back in the mid-90's, I hunted thru a local "U-Pull-It" for a front suspension that used double a-arms so the upright would have both upper and lower ball joints. I found a salvaged Impulse and used the uprights/hubs/calipers and rotors.
Not that anyone would care, but here's the research I did years ago on the brakes. Maybe someone is looking to build a project like I did and is looking for pieces/parts. FYI, I've used Miata stuff on the last 3 7's.
Here is an explanation of what cars they are also the same as.
"Chevette spindle extended interchange/brakes/trivia
First, I love your web site/forums. I own 6 Lotus
(Elan’s/Europa’s/Esprit). I’ve been looking for a spindle to use
on my Elan’s/Europa’s to get away from trunnions. I also want to
convert to 4X100 bolt circles. I thought Miata was the answer, then I
saw your posted Chevette spindle dimensions and had two thoughts, first
it does look to be the right size for our Lotus uses and wait, it looks
just like my Esprit!!!. 1976 to 1980 Esprit’s used Opel Manta/1900
front suspension. The Chevette being a “world car” borrowed much from
existing European GM design. I bought some Chevette spindles to compare
to the Esprit/Manta/1900. All critical dimensions are the same. Minor
detail differences are a bolt-on verses cast-in steering arm and the
ball joint tapers are slightly larger on the Opel. The Opel spindle
uses a separate hub/rotor design making swaps to big brakes easier (more
on that). I decided that I wanted to make a post on this forum
reporting the Lotus/Chevette connection, so I did more research and made
an additional discovery. Chevettes were marketed around the world using
several different model names (there was even a Chevette based pickup
truck). In Japan, Chevettes were marketed as Isuzu I-Marks. An I-Mark
is a Chevette? I looked at exploded suspension diagrams and Isuzu
I-Marks use the same suspension design as a Chevette. As they say in
infomercials; But wait there’s more! All rear wheel drive Isuzu sedans
use the Chevette spindle. So here is a list of years/models that I
believe use the Chevette spindle design:
1971 to 1975 Opel Manta and 1900 (great autocross cars in their day)
1976 to 1980 Lotus Esprit
1976 to 1979 Buick Opel (which is an Isuzu I-Mark)
1976 to 1987 Chevrolet Chevette (Vette for short)
1981 to 1985 Isuzu I-Mark
1983 to 1989 Isuzu Impulse
1976 to 1987 Pontiac Acadian (for those from the great white north)
1984 to 1987 Pontiac Fiero
1981 to 1987 Pontiac T1000
All of the above use the same Set 1/Set 4 wheel bearings. The Isuzu
Impulse, intrigues me because it has a separate rotor/hub design similar
to the Manta/1900. I need to find one and compare it to the Opel hub.
Now for brakes. The Opel owners group has worked out an inexpensive big
brake option for 13 inch wheels. They use 1977 BMW 320i vented rotors
(only year in U.S. with vented) which bolt directly onto the Opel hub
(which fit Chevette spindles). For calipers, they use either the BMW
(rare) or early 80’s Volvo. Caliper to hub clearance is tight, but they
fit inside 13 inch wheels! I considered this for my Esprit, but I have
upgraded to 17X8 on the front and wanted something more visually
substantial. I’m now using Volkswagen Corrado 4 bolt rotors (11 inch
vented) re-drilled to bolt-on Opel style. For calipers, I’m using Mazda
RX7 4-piston aluminum. Rotors can be bought for as little as $22 each
(not drilled or slotted, hubbearing.com) and junk-yard calipers for $15
each. The aluminum caliper adapter is easy, all 4 holes are in a
straight line (AN washers to shim the spacing). My mock-up was a
Chevette spindle, Manta hub, Corrado rotor and RX7 caliper. On the car
I retained the Manta spindles. I haven’t tried smaller wheels yet, but
15 inch may clear this combination. There are bigger 4-bolt rotors.
Lotus Exige is 11.3 inch. A 2005 Mini Cooper JCW is 11.57 inch. Both in
4X100 bolt circle, easily modified to fit the back side of an Opel hub,
and maybe a direct fit from the front of an Impulse hub.
But wait, even more! Because Fiero’s are popular kit car platforms,
bigger brakes and drop spindles are offered. Streetdreamsbyross.com has
2-inch drop 84-87 Fiero spindles with aluminum hubs drilled in any bolt
pattern (you want Lambo wheels on your replica, they drill to fit). For
Locost builders who can mount suspension pickups wherever they want, a
drop doesn’t matter, but for my Vintage Race Europa it does. Vintage
rules require original suspension control arms are free. By having the option of standard and drop
spindles and using AFCO standard and extended ball joints, I’ll have 8
different combinations of roll centers and swing arm lengths. It’s worth
the cost of the drop spindles to get those options. By the way, drop
spindles are not offered for Miata."
To steal a quote from "Junk Connoisseurs," "Lotus was involved."
Tom1200 said:Isuzu actually built some cools cars, many of which we didn't get in the USA.
Still accurate:
Opti said:To steal a quote from "Junk Connoisseurs," "Lotus was involved."
That just reminded me that somewhere I might have some “Handling by Lotus” badges that we “found” at the you-pull-it.
Hmmmmm.
VolvoHeretic said:Box flares and about 300 hp...
You read my mind.
I remember seeing this a while back from Isuzu which is also very cool.
https://bringatrailer.com/2016/03/17/rare-in-the-us-1980-isuzu-117-coupe-xc/
Made until 1981.
In reply to kanaric :
Those are some attractive cars. See also: Isuzu Bellett GT-R.
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