Late20 Guide: Isuzu Imuplse

"Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney" (braddelaparker) 02/01/2019 at 14:03 • Filed to: late20, late20guide, isuzu, impulse, piazza

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Second generation Impulse

Isuzu Impulse (Piazza)
1983 - 1993
Production: 70,000

Drivers: $2,000 - $4,000
Garage Queen: $5,000 - $7,500

There are three Isuzus on our list, and two of the three share an important distinction: GUIGIARO(!). The Impulse (known as the Piazza outside of North America) was one of the earliest examples of Guigiaro’s (now at his own firm !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ) “folded paper” design paradigm and, well, it’s hard to not see it in the first generation car.

First generation Impulse

Later, Lotus would get its hands on the Impulse’s suspension tuning. Contemporary reviews from the motoring press, even the persnickety Brits, immediately noted a marked improvement in handling, particularly at high speeds.

The “Asso Di Fiori” concept penned by Guigiaro which would go from concept to production Impulse nearly untouched

The Impulse would enter its final form in the 1990 model year with significantly revised styling and, more significantly, a move to a front engine, front wheel drive/all wheel drive layout on a new General Motors global chassis. Similar to the Lotus Elan M100 with which it shared more than a few commonalities, the move to a transverse, front-wheel drive platform might seem odd, but Isuzu’s engineers set out to ensure this would be no let down. 1991's Impulse RS featured all wheel drive and 160 turbocharged horsepower in a 2700 pound package, plus rear wheel steering and continued chassis influence from Isuzu’s GM corporate cousin in Lotus.

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punkgoose17 > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 02/01/2019 at 14:10

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Thank you this is an excellent birthday present.

Nothing > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 02/01/2019 at 14:11

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I prefer the front end treatment on these to the Geo Storm. I imagine the hatchback version of the later  models  has to be impossible to find.

vicali > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 02/01/2019 at 14:13

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My Sister- in- law had a 90 Geo Storm in our little town ;

The worst part was the previous owner was a dial- a- dope operation so she would get pulled over by the police a few times a month..

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > Nothing 02/01/2019 at 14:13

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Virtually impossible to find. The second generation cars are thin across the board, especially the RS model, but as far as I can tell they made very few hatchbacks.

dogisbadob > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 02/01/2019 at 14:15

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GM got sooooooooooooo jealous of it, too! Even the watered-down Geo Storm version was awesome! That pissed off GM, so they and killed Isuzu

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 02/01/2019 at 14:29

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An impulse was rare when it was in production, now they have reached unicorn status. The last one I saw was in a shop in california in 1998.

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 02/01/2019 at 15:42

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I keep a keen eye out for a decent one. I have a savings account set aside just in case. 

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 02/01/2019 at 17:25

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Aaaaaactually, the one to get is not the Suspension by Lotus (though those can be found in the US.)

The one to get is the Irmscher, if you can’t find an ‘87 RS. Both of these have markedly  better suspension than the Lotus at the cost of comfort. (Lotus was directed to keep the ride tolerable. The ride in the RS is... not that word.)