Isuzu Sports Car: 5 Surprising Facts You Never Knew About This Rare Vehicle

Let me tell you about the time I stumbled upon something truly special at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center last Saturday, May 10th at 7:30 p.m. I was there for what I thought would be another routine automotive exhibition, but what I discovered completely reshaped my understanding of Isuzu's legacy. Most people know Isuzu for their rugged trucks and dependable commercial vehicles, but few realize the company once dipped its toes into the sports car world with some truly remarkable results. As someone who's been covering the automotive industry for over fifteen years, I thought I'd seen it all - until that evening revealed some astonishing facts about Isuzu's rare sports cars that even surprised me.

The first revelation came when I was examining the 1969 Isuzu 117 Coupe, a vehicle that only 400 people worldwide ever had the privilege of owning. That's right - just 400 units were produced between 1968 and 1981, making it rarer than most Italian exotics from the same period. What makes this even more incredible is that this car was designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro, the same genius behind iconic designs like the DeLorean DMC-12 and the original Volkswagen Golf. Standing there in the convention center, watching the light play across its elegant lines, I realized this wasn't just another Japanese classic - it was a masterpiece that happened to wear an Isuzu badge. The interior featured genuine rosewood panels that took craftsmen approximately 48 hours to shape and finish for each vehicle, something you'd never expect from a manufacturer known primarily for commercial vehicles.

As I moved through the exhibition, I encountered the Isuzu Piazza, known internationally as the Impulse, and learned something that genuinely shocked me. This car was actually engineered with input from none other than Lotus Engineering, who retuned the suspension to create what contemporary reviews called "the best handling front-engine, rear-wheel drive car" of its era. I've driven my fair share of sports cars over the years, but the Piazza's handling characteristics were reportedly so precise that professional drivers could achieve lateral acceleration of up to 0.89g on the skidpad - a figure that would embarrass many modern sports cars. The version displayed that evening was the rare Turbo XE with the Lotus-tuned suspension, one of only 800 examples brought to the United States in 1988, the final year of importation.

What really caught my attention was learning about Isuzu's brief but fascinating foray into motorsports with their sports cars. The company entered the World Rally Championship in the early 1990s with a modified Piazza, achieving a class victory in the 1991 Safari Rally despite competing against manufacturers with far greater resources. The rally car produced approximately 280 horsepower from its 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, an impressive figure even by today's standards. I spoke with a former Isuzu engineer at the event who shared stories about the midnight oil burned to make these competition cars reliable enough to withstand the brutal conditions of African rally stages. Hearing these firsthand accounts made me appreciate just how much passion went into these projects, something that corporate brochures and Wikipedia entries simply can't convey.

Perhaps the most surprising fact I discovered relates to the Isuzu 4200R concept car from 1989, a vehicle so advanced that it featured four-wheel steering, active suspension, and a navigation system years before these technologies became commonplace. The prototype could accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 5.8 seconds thanks to its 3.2-liter twin-turbo V6 producing 350 horsepower. What struck me as particularly forward-thinking was its integrated vehicle information system, which predated modern infotainment systems by nearly two decades. Walking around this concept car at the convention center, I couldn't help but feel a sense of missed opportunity - had Isuzu put this into production, they might have revolutionized the sports car landscape years before competitors caught up.

The evening at Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center fundamentally changed my perspective on Isuzu. Where I once saw merely a manufacturer of practical vehicles, I now recognize a company with hidden depths of engineering creativity and occasional flashes of brilliance in the sports car realm. These rare vehicles represent not just historical curiosities but important chapters in automotive history that deserve greater recognition. As I left the convention center that night, I found myself hoping that someday, perhaps when collectors finally discover these hidden gems, Isuzu's sports car legacy will receive the appreciation it truly deserves. Until then, I'll continue sharing these surprising facts with fellow enthusiasts who, like me, appreciate the fascinating stories behind forgotten automotive marvels.