Isuzu 117 Coupé - Innovative Japanese technology given an Italian twist

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Isuzu 117 Coupé - Innovative Japanese technology given an Italian twist

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Created on June 24, 2021

Text:

Paul Krüger

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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RM Sotheby's

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Bruno von Rotz

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ItalDesign

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Nissan Motor Company

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Archiv

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The Isuzu 117 was the coupé version of the Isuzu Florian.

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Giorgio Giugiaro designed the Coupé at the end of 1965 during his short time at Ghia.

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Similarities with the Fiat Dino, which Giugiaro designed while still working for Bertone, are certainly not entirely coincidental.

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Horizontal lines make the rear look wide and powerful.

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A hint of Glas 1700 GT has also been mixed into the design.

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The long wheelbase gives rear seat passengers more space.

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For fans, the Isuzu 117 is one of the most beautiful Japanese cars ever built.

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The trim strip in the radiator grille does not really belong here. It comes from an earlier model.

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The 117 had round twin headlights until the end of 1977, but from model year 1978 the lights were rectangular.

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Lion instead of horse: the trim strip with framed karajishi in the radiator grille is reminiscent of the Ford Mustang.

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Side position light with nameplate at the rear, lockable fuel filler flap

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Simple elegance: the standard coupé has no protruding bumper corners like the prototype.

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The delicate chrome mirrors positioned very far forward are actually part of an HM model.

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In Japan, cars had to carry their rear-view mirrors on the fenders until March 1983.

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The Rota alloy wheels have been retrofitted, but look great on the coupé.

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IItalo-Western: the wide American-style light strip blends elegantly into the Italian shell.

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The Isuzu emblem and lettering can only be found at the rear of the 117 Coupé.

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Mislabeling: the 117 XE actually has two camshafts and fuel injection. It should say "117 XT" here.

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And another lion: the coat of arms on the front side panel.

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Classic, sporty cockpit with black leather and seven round instruments

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The air conditioning vents are located under the glove compartment. The temperature and blower level are regulated between the seats.

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The dashboard of the 117 XE is veneered in laurel wood - after all, everyone has walnut. Curious: the three horn buttons in the steering wheel spokes.

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Four Yazaki instruments provide information on charging current, fuel level, oil pressure and cooling water temperature

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Four gears were standard. In mid-1975, a three-speed automatic was available on request. From May 1976, five gears were standard.

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Where, please, is the train station? If a reader speaks Japanese, we would be delighted to receive a translation.

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For the sports driver with family: shaped rear bench seat with head restraints and lap belts.

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Please do not speed: Above the Japanese speed limit of 100 km/h, the speedometer scale turns yellow.

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The 1800 with one camshaft and one carburetor was the entry-level engine from model year 1972.

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In the 117 XT, it delivers 100 SAE horsepower at 5400 rpm, then 105 from mid-1975.

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The 115 SAE hp XC had one more carburetor, the XG also had a DOHC head for 125 SAE hp.

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Golden keys were otherwise only available from Cadillac. But it fits in quite well with the Isuzu's upmarket price and standards.

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The prototype at its premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in 1966. The swept front and the recessed door handles disappeared at the start of "series production" in 1968

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With a smooth nose and bumper, the coupé went into production in 1968.

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By March 1973, only 2458 coupés had been produced by hand. Note the patriotic decorative strip on the sill of this example.

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Indicators under the bumper, recessed position lights and painted plastic rear-view mirrors characterize the Series 1. The trim strip in the radiator grille is now also missing.

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At the rear, the first series can be recognized by the wide light strip and side position lights. The base model 117 XT at the rear, a slightly better equipped XC at the front.

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The better motorized XC, XG and XE wore sports steel wheels without chrome caps, the sports model XC-J light alloy wheels.

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The second series with rectangular headlights appeared in December 1977.

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In 1980, Isuzu launched the special "Giugiaro Edition" model with aluminum wheels as standard.

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The Isuzu Bellel was Isuzu's first self-developed car in 1961. Here is a 1964 model.

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The Isuzu Bellett followed the Hillman-licensed Isuzu Minx in 1963.

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The Bellel successor Florian appeared in 1967 and formed the technical basis for the 117 Coupé.

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The magnificent one: Isuzu Florian with an auspicious name, here as a 1970 TS with twin headlights

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Drawing by Giovanni Michelotti for the Prince Skyline Sport

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The first Italo-Japanese: Prince Skyline Sport from 1959

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Similarly expensive, but much rarer with 554 units built: Datsun Coupé 1500 / Nissan Silvia from 1964

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Designed in 1965, built from 1967: Fiat Dino Coupé designed by Giugiaro

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The Dino had its indicators under the bumper right from the start.

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Thanks to the wide C-pillar, the rear of the Fiat appears more massive than that of the Isuzu.

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The successor: the Isuzu Piazza emerged from Giugiaro's Asso di Fiori study.

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Summary

The Isuzu 117 was the coupé version of the Isuzu Florian. It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who, however, did not take the Japanese production infrastructure of the time into consideration. As a result, the first examples all had to be produced by hand. It was only after GM moved in that money was available for new sheet metal presses and the pretty coupé, which was available with a wide variety of engines, gradually became a production car. Nevertheless, the production figures remained modest. This article is dedicated to the Japanese beauty built between 1968 and 1981 and shows it in historical and current photographs.

This article contains the following chapters

An image carrier for Isuzu
The long road to theseries
Quality has its price
Pioneering work with German support
Start of series production with American support
Changes under the sheet metal too
The second series
Discover the unknown Japan
All engine variants at a glance

Estimated reading time: 10min

Preview (beginning of the article)

An Italian was needed! After VW Karmann-Ghia and Renault Floride had successfully established the concept of the elegant bodywork mass suit on a profane technical chassis in the fifties, the idea of the Mediterranean-wrapped saloon chassis spilled over to Japan. The first Far Eastern model to follow this recipe was the Prince Skyline Sport designed by Giovanni Michelotti in 1959. Although the 1964 Nissan Silvia was designed by Albrecht Graf von Goertz, it still had an Italian feel and was based on the staid Datsun Bluebird. The Mazda Familia and Luce models, which appeared in 1964 and 1965, were saloons, but were designed by none other than Giorgio Giugiaro and were the first Italo-Japanese cars to be produced in large numbers.

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