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Isuzu Piazza Turbo - exotic coupé from the oldest Japanese car manufacturer

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Created on December 2, 2020

Reading time 10min

Written by:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

ItalDesign

Archiv der Audi AG

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

ItalDesign

Archiv der Audi AG

Archiv

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - rund 210 km/h Spitze waren möglich

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - einfach und problemlos zu fahren

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - 0 bis 100 km/h in rund neun Sekunden

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - kein Blender

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - die Zusammenarbeit mit Lotus überdauerte den Piazza

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - kompaktes Auto, fühlt sich überall wohl

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - so einfach konnte man ihm gar nicht folgen

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - die europäische Version war mit 431 cm Länge 7,5 cm kürzer als die US-Variante "Impulse"

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - grosse Fensterflächen, niedrige Gürtellinie

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - relativ kurzer Radstand in Kombination mit grossem vorderen Überhang

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - nahe am Showcar "Asso Trèfle" von 1987

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - in Wagenfarbe lackierte Stossfänger waren damals noch die Ausnahme

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - Ähnlichkeiten zum VW Scirocco sind nicht ganz zufällig

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - hohe Ladekante

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - 165,5 cm breit

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - keilförmiges Coupé

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - "handling by lotus" - am Heck

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - modern wirkendes Armaturenbrett

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - komplett ausgetattet

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - zwei Bedienungssatelliten

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - der linke Bedienungssatellit (einstellbar)

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - der rechte Bedienungssatellit

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - die Lenkradspeichen sind etwas arg tief angebracht

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - die kleinen Abdeckungen geben den Scheinwerfer frei

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - exakt schaltbares Fünfganggetriebe

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - schön gearbeitete Polsterstoffe

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - relativ bequeme Sitze hinten

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - die Rücksitze sind in der Neigung verstellbar

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - "handling by Lotus"-Schriftzug im Innern

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - grosser, aber relativ flacher Kofferraum - die Rücksitze können umgeklappt werden

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - propfenvoller Motorraum

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - Turbolader für den Vierzylinder

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - hier muss nicht gerätselt werden

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - mit Intercooler

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - Markenbezeichnung auf dem Kühlergrill

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - eingeprägter Isuzu-Schriftzug auf dem vorderen Stossfänger

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - 195-er-Reifen auf 14-Zoll-Rädern

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - "handling by Lotus" auf der Flanke

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - Marken-Typen-Schriftzug auf der Flanke

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Isuzu Piazza Turbo (1990) - Beschriftung auf dem Heck

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Isuzu Bellett 1500 Delxue (1965) - knapp vier Meter lange Limousine aus Japan

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Isuzu 117 Sport, Ghia (1966) - Eleganz aus Japan - Genfer Autosalon 1966

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Audi Coupé 'Asso di Picche' (1973) - viersitzige Coupé-Studie auf Audi-80-Basis, Design von Giugaro, ItalDesign und Karmann - Internationale Automobilausstellung (IAA) in Frankfurt 1973

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Audi Coupé 'Asso' (1973) - Walzen für Anzeigen, speziell geschaltete Schalter im Prototyp von ItalDesign - Internationale Automobilausstellung (IAA) in Frankfurt 1973

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Schöne Detaillösungen - Giugiaro zeigte schon vor einiger Zeit beim Audi-80-Coupe «Asso» diese ausknöpfbare Seitentasche - Genfer Autosalon 1977

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Buch "Audi Raritäten" - nahm formal viel vom Scirocco vorweg. Ital Design und Karmanns Audi Asso di Picce (1972

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ItalDesign Asso di Picche (1973) - auf Audi-Basis

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ItalDesign Asso di Quadri (1976) - Prototyp auf BMW-Basis

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Isuzu Asso Trèfle (1979) - Zeichnung des Prototyps von ItalDesign/Giugiaro

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Isuzu Gemini Italdesign (1979) - flache, klare Formen für die japanische Automarke - Genfer Automobilsalon 1979

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Isuzu Asso Trèfle (1979) - Prototyp von ItalDesign/Giugiaro

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Isuzu Piazza (1981) - Serienversion mit Giorgetto Giugiaro

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Isuzu Impulse (1983) - seine Form gestaltete Giorgetto Giugiaro, hier die US-Version

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Isuzu Piazza (1987) - Werbung für den Aubau des Händlernetztes in der Schweiz

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Summary

Design by Giorgetto Giugiaro, chassis by Lotus, four-cylinder turbo engine, rear-wheel drive and suitability for everyday use, built by the traditional Japanese manufacturer Isuzu. Customers should have flocked to it! Yes, perhaps, if they could have. But the coupé was only sold in a few countries. And only for a few years. This driving report is about an Isuzu Piazza Turbo from 1990 and shows it in many current and historical photos. Of course, there is also a sound sample and, as an encore, a test video from 1988.

This article contains the following chapters

The oldest car manufacturer in Japan
With Italian help
A good year from the study to series production
Classic ingredients
From 1987 in Switzerland
Improved with Lotus support
Sales weaknesses
Early end
Driving classic

Estimated reading time: 10min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The Isuzu Piazza Turbo is one of the exotic cars on our roads; hardly anyone recognizes it straight away. The three-door coupé, which bears a certain resemblance to the VW Scirocco, is a rarity in this country, as comparatively few examples were sold. And yet the ingredients were more perfect than almost any other car: styled by one of the world's best designers, a robust turbo engine, rear-wheel drive and chassis fine-tuning by the well-known Formula 1 racing team. Why didn't we all drive Isuzu Piazza? Let's take a look back. Isuzu calls itself the oldest car manufacturer in Japan. A predecessor company is said to have built the first self-propelled car as early as 1914, and truck production began in 1918. Passenger cars were initially produced under license, including by Wolseley (1920s) and Hillman (from 1953, Minx model).

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