Stored 10+ Years: 1986 Isuzu Impulse Turbo

The Impulse is one of the great lost cars of the 80s. There is so much going on with them: Giugiaro body, Japanese engineering, Lotus tuning. They looked terrific, were fun to drive and have held up over time pretty well. They are also extremely rare.

The basic fact is that there just aren't any sporty, compact, affordable rear-wheel drive cars anymore. But back in the late 70s to the early 90s there were many options.

The Impulse was one such option when it debuted in 1981. It was otherwise known, perhaps fittingly (given the Italian design) as the Piazza outside North America. This was way back when Isuzu was an equal contender alongside Honda and Toyota for king of Japanese auto sales in North America. The Impulse was way nicer than most other Japanese cars at the time. Isuzu made a great call in commissioning Giugiaro to do the body work. Japanese design was struggling to find a language, and he helped them see how they could craft a look, tone and shape that neither America nor Germany were seizing upon - yet.

Engines were either naturally aspirated or turbocharged 4-cylinders. This is the rarer and far more desirable 2.0-liter turbo, with a 5-speed manual transmission, ventilated front disc brakes, and rear solid disc brakes. The seller says the suspension is by Lotus, but I thought it was only offered on later models.

The seller says this survivor has been in enclosed storage for over a decade and needs a cleaning. They do mention a new battery and oil change, however, and that is was "started up". 10 years is a long slumber for any car, so it may need more, but the basics are here, and it looks great in presumably original Turbo trim, wheels and rear spoiler.

The Impulse is flying low on the collector radar but deserves a new appraisal as a special, exotic car of multinational breeding. To sum it up, it's pretty and fast.

Available here on craigslist for just $2,800.

Lost Giugiaro: 1984 Isuzu Impulse

I love the Impulse! This is a forgotten chapter in Isuzu history. Today, the company has been reduced to selling commercial diesel trucks in the US. But during the Japanese Invasion of the 80s, Isuzu was striving to stand out against a crowded field of competitors like Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Subaru.

I give them a lot of credit for trying. They specialized in small, efficient cars but weren't afraid to take design risks. One such was the Impulse, otherwise known as the Piazza outside of North America.

Isuzu commissioned legendary designer Giorgio Giugiaro to style a new sporty coupe for them in the late 70s. The result was the Piazza/Impulse. It was classic Giugiaro: simple two-box design, long hood, sloping rear hatchback, flat simple planes, sharp edges and square shapes. If you appreciate modern design, you appreciate Giugiaro and the Impulse.

The car debuted in 1980 but wasn't available in the US until 1983. Unfortunately by that point, the entry level two door rear wheel drive segment was very competitive. The Impulse was initially only offered with a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, then gained a turbocharger and fancy Lotus suspension in later years. Production ended around 1990.

This is a nice early example with the basic 4-cylinder engine mated to an automatic transmission. The seller doesn't say much about the condition except it runs and drives. The car was obviously used a lot. A photo of the odometer shows it reading 140,636. The engine compartment, accessible through a cool front-hinged hood, looks decent and tidy enough. The exterior clear coat and rubber look worn, although what appear to be the sweet original alloys are a huge plus.

Inside, the cloth seats are torn, but the dash looks intact. These had cool adjustable steering wheels that moved the instrument cluster with them for maximum visibility.

The seller does say they have lowered the price down to $2,500, which is a good deal provided the car runs ok, has some maintenance history and no rust. This could become a daily driver, but would be nice to restore sooner or later, with fresh paint, mechanical going over and fixed upholstery. Japanese cars of the 80s and early 90s are the new up and coming classics, and mean a lot to the twenty and thirty-something crowd today. This car is a cool, easily obtainable new classic that can function as transportation and a piece of auto history. Not bad.

Available here on craigslist.

1989 Isuzu Impulse Turbo

This is a collector car in the making that nobody is watching, so there are ample chances to snatch one up for relatively cheap now.

Few were made, fewer were sold, and even fewer survive today. But the car's credentials, history and design are impressive and intriguing. It was conceived and engineered by Isuzu, designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro and tuned by Lotus. How many cars boast all that? None that I know of.

The Impulse was known as the Piazza outside North America and was produced from 1981-1990, but only sold here from 1983 onward.

Underneath the sleek two-box styling is a 4ZC1 turbocharged, inter-cooled 4-cylinder engine that powered the rear wheels. The seller of this example says it has a 5-speed manual transmission, cloth interior, sunroof and a "technics" radio. Cosmetically it seems to be missing a front grille and the clear coat is fading. Mechanically, they say the driver's side window and power steering pump have issues, but those could be easy do-it-yourself fixes for the knowledgeable.

In a few years there will be a real appetite for the Impulse. Their pedigree speaks volumes, and numbers of survivors have dwindled. On top of that, the rear-wheel setup and turbo boost also make them fun drivers, so they are usable and practical too.

Available here on craigslist in Des Moines, Iowa for $3,500 or best offer.

Another One: $650 Project 1988 Isuzu Impulse

A reader has sent me another Impulse! This time it's a project that has seen better days. Still, its got that roughed up look thats kinda-dumpy, kinda-cool looking, at least if it were parked under neon lights in a rainstorm. Thanks to Jerry H. for this submission!

For those not in the know, the 1980-1990 ('83 onward in the U.S.) Impulse is a collector classic in the making, if it gets saved from oblivion. Haggerty Insurance has rated them extinct as of two years ago. But the Impulse has all the credentials for a New Modern Classic - two-doors, designer body, rear-wheel drive, sport-oriented engineering, international pedigree.

Styling was courtesy of Giugiaro and is another fine example of his brilliant design philosophy, a dominant force of style for most of the second half of the 20th century. Isuzu handled the engineering. The suspension was courtesy of Lotus (earning the car a plate that boasts "Handling by Lotus").

The seller of this example doesn't say whether it's the coveted turbocharged version, but do mention it has the 2.0-liter 4-cylidner engine under the hood geared to a 5-speed manual transmission.

They say the car runs "real good", but it needs clutch work. They also say the body is nice...so who knows what this really needs. The photos clearly show a scar with poor and uneven paint, no stereo or a/c controls and a big dent in the rear hatch gate. But a quick test drive and carfax will flesh out the rest of the story, at least the mechanical and ownership side.

Other than that, for $650 you get one hell of rare ride. There's plenty of room in that price to use it as a daily driver, then restore it later.

Please somebody treat it nice.

Available here on craigslist in Indianapolis, Indiana for just $650.

1-Owner 1989 Isuzu Impulse Turbo

The Impulse was rated "extinct" by Hagerty Classic Car Insurance two summers ago, based on having no examples insured. That's a shame. The Impulse is a really cool car. And if there were very few left in 2011, you can bet there are even less now, as owners desperate for cash in the global recession just end up junking them.

In the 80s, the Isuzu lineup wasn't yet whittled down to cute-utes and econoboxes (in fact today, it's just two ugly General Motors-based trucks). There was actually depth and range. It included the utilitarian P'up,  Trooper, compact I-Mark, and the sporty Impulse, known as the Piazza outside North America.

There are several notable aspects of the Impulse, the first being the deliciously sleek body by none other than Giorgetto Giugiaro. In the 70s and 80s, Giugiaro was THE go-to auto designer for-hire, lending his touch with several groundbreaking designs for major auto manufacturers like Lotus and Volkswagen. For Isuzu, he created a classic two-box shape with several of his trademark cues: long, flat hood, small narrow headlights and sloped rear. With the Impulse, he manages to make it look both fresh and classic. You just don't see these kind of taught and controlled lines and proportions anymore.

The Impulse was produced from 1980-1990, but only sold here from 1983 onward. In 1988 it received special "handling by Lotus" tuned suspensions with new sway bars, stiffer dampers and new spring rates. The engines were all 4-cylinders, but were offered either normally aspirated or turbocharged. Perhaps best of all, power was directed to the rear wheels.

This particular example is a later '89 Turbo and looks perfect in gunmetal grey, with body-colored trim and spoiler. Note the hyper-extended rear windshield wiper. Although it's mated to an automatic transmission, the seller says it has a rebuilt engine, head, and turbo, and has only 29k miles since the rebuild. Cosmetically, they say the body is in good shape. Other than rust and accident history, this puppy could be good to go. Italian styling, British tuning, Japanese engineering.

Available here on craigslist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for $2,500.

Italo-Design by way of Japan: 1985 Isuzu Impulse

I really like these cars.

I don't like the ad for this one, however.

Let's start with the car.

You're looking at a 1985 Isuzu Impulse.

The Impulse nameplate was used by Isuzu from 1980-1993 for two generations of compact two-door hatchbacks. It was known as the Piazza outside the U.S.

This is a first generation Impulse, which was produced from 1980-1990. It was sold in the U.S. from '83-'89 model years.

The design is striking. The front hood looks disproportionally long, but when viewed from the side, the generous greenhouse glass and gently rounded hatchback end fill out the rear perfectly, balancing the whole car. There is one man to thank for all this: legendary Italian car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. Giugiaro styled dozens of iconic cars from the late 20th century, such as the Volkswagen Rabbit, Lotus Esprit S1 and Delorean DMC-12. I would call him a pioneer of the '70s "wedge" shape for the masses. He took the wedge and perfected it, translating it into a language the public immediately embraced.

The Impulse therefore is a classic Giugiaro design. Sharp clean lines, flat-planes, narrow squinty-eyed front end and slanted hatchback rear with grid-grooved taillights. The front is reminiscent of the Delorean, with the long hood tapering to a small horizontal grille and quad square headlamps.

 

Interestingly, as excellent a designer as Giugiaro was, the cars that bore his touch often weren't big sellers, which of course had nothing to do with him, and instead made his designs even more rarefied.

Such is the case with the Impulse.

As is the fate of a lot of Japanese cars from the early '80s, the Impulse wasn't a big seller, and what was sold was gradually traded in or scrapped over the years, resulting in very, very few left, especially east of the Grand Canyon, where fewer were sold before they fell victim to rust from water and salt. Wikipedia estimates there are only around 2,300 registered as of 2010, so probably less were in use and even less exist by now.

Fortunately, they do pop up still, mostly as forgotten derelicts like this ad.

Condition wise the vehicle appears poor. The paint and rubber molding is all faded. There appears to be no visible rust or accident damage, but the passenger side is not pictured.

The seller states this is the Turbo model, which is a plus. The first-generation Impulse had rear-wheel drive. Combined with the turbocharged engine and tight Japanese construction I'm sure this was one solid ride in its day. Unfortunately this is also an automatic transmission, cutting back on the fun factor.

The seller also says this is an abandoned vehicle that was last running before it was left. They make no indication of how or why it was left where it is now. Worse, they say they have no title. This turns the ad sour for me and raises red flags. If the seller has no title and they aren't the registered owner, they have no legal authority to profit from the vehicle, as it would still be on the books under someone else's name. Even if the vehicle is on their property, they still must have a local sheriff take it away. If the seller is the registered owner and just lost the title, that's an entirely different and much less difficult scenario.

On top of that, they want $1,000 for it.

In conclusion, cool car, very poor ad, would not recommend. There could be a legitimate explanation for everything, but you need the whole story first.

Find it here on craigslist in Washington.