Original Giugiaro designed Piazza/Impulse (1982)Photo courtesy of Italdesign/Giugiaro
1989 Isuzu Impulse Turbo "Handling by Lotus", last of the Giugiaro Impulses.Car looks great in spite of all the years and mileage... internals need a lot of work
I've had my old college car in storage for the better part of the last five years and the car had only been driven sporadically in the several years prior to storage. The 1989 Isuzu Impulse Turbo was the first car I owned from "new" and has been a faithful workhorse from college to graduate school and on to post-graduate study. With an Italian Giugiaro (http://www.italdesign.it/) designed body (designer of Maseratis, the BMW M1, Alfa Romeos, the original Volkswagen Scirocco, and countless other iconic cars), a forward thinking interior, and suspension tuning by Lotus, I still think the Impulse is a pretty car. About the only complaint now as then is that the 2.0 liter 4 cylinder turbo Isuzu motor is a bit underpowered.
With well over 100,000 miles on the clock the car served me well. I always kept the car in very good shape, but time and age started to take a toll on the car. As issues multiplied I decided to park the car until I found the time and resources to put her back on the road. Well, most of you know that I have been going to Steve's Auto Clinic in North Hills, California for my MINI performance modifications. Steve's work has been honest, good, and reasonable, so I opted to have Steve give the old Isuzu a thorough inspection. The Impulse no longer started so I had to put it on a tow truck and had it hauled up to North Hills.
The initial problem was a rusted fuel pump and excess rust in the gas tank which necessitated a rebuild. I had put preservative in the fuel, but time still didn't do the fuel system any favors. Lots of Impulse parts are now "unobtainium" so the gas tank could not be replaced.
We're still trying to figure out how to rebuild the power window regulators since those are also not available and both driver and passenger windows are broken. After taking care of those two items a couple of electrical glitches need to be repaired and then a full engine service will be undertaken. Barring any other unforseen problems one of the few remaining cared for examples of the "Handling by Lotus" Isuzu Impulse Turbos will be back on the roads in Southern California!
2 comments:
My wife and I looked at one of these but went with the a BIMMER instead. Mazda had a lousy reputation at that time. Looks like you had good luck though. Of course she, not being a motorhead, was going to get the more basic model. Good luck with all the OEM part search.
We are doing a 1967 Beetle now. It was here father's and since his death she inherited the car. These cars have mass suppliers I'm finding out as there were 3 million of the little buggers produced.
Hi rb,
Nice one with the'67 Beetle. I don't think you'll have the parts headache that I'm having witht the Isuzu. Yes, quality wasn't an Isuzu hallmark, but the Impulse didn't give me any major problems over the course of its life as a daily driver. Worst I can remember was sloppy steering because the steering belts wore out prematurely.
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