The Isuzu 117 Coupé is a

compact Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in British ...

Gran Turismo type 2-door

fastback A fastback is an automotive styling feature, defined by the rear of the car having a single slope from the roof to the tail. The kammback is a type of fastback style. Some models, such as the Ford Mustang, have been specifically marketed as ...

coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

which was produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Isuzu between 1968 and 1981. 117 was a codename for a common development program of Isuzu mid-size cars, involving a coupé, sedan and station wagon. The latter two eventually became the

Isuzu Florian The Isuzu Florian is an intermediate class car manufactured by Isuzu Motors Ltd. in Japan from November 1967 to 1983. The Florian's body remained essentially the same through its unusually long life cycle, being afforded only two moderate faceli ...

, but the coupe kept the original name, and both models shared mechanicals, including the complete

FR layout In automotive design, a FR, or front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout is one where the Internal combustion engine, engine is Front-engine design, located at the front of the vehicle and rear-wheel-drive, driven wheels are located at the rear via a ...

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

with

recirculating ball Recirculating ball, also known as recirculating ball and nut or worm and sector, is a steering mechanism commonly found in older automobiles, off-road vehicles, and some trucks. Most newer cars use the more economical rack and pinion steering ins ...

steering. The 117 Coupé was styled by the famous

Giorgetto Giugiaro Giorgetto Giugiaro (; born 7 August 1938) is an Italian automotive designer. He has worked on supercars and popular everyday vehicles. He was born in Garessio, Cuneo, Piedmont. Giugiaro was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted ...

, being one of the first Japanese cars designed by an Italian stylist. It was among the first Japanese cars with a

DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...

engine, and the first with electronic

fuel injection Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines. All comp ...

. The 117 can be regarded as the world's first

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

to be available with a

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

. It was quite an exclusive vehicle during its lifetime, and is a rare collectible now, but thanks to its unusually long lifecycle, Isuzu manufactured 86,192 units. The 117 Coupé was replaced by the

Isuzu Piazza The Isuzu Piazza is a small, sporty 3-door liftback coupé which was manufactured by Isuzu from 1981 until 1992 in two generations. The Isuzu Piazza was marketed as the Isuzu Impulse in North America and as the Holden Piazza in Australia. The ...

in the Isuzu lineup.

Early years

The 117 Coupé was debuted as a

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show, and was later shown at the

Tokyo Motor Show The is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recognized international show by ...

the same year. In 1968, Isuzu started preliminary small-scale production of 117 Coupés, which were effectively handmade in amounts rarely exceeding 50 a month. Its marketing approach was similar to the

Nissan Silvia The is the series of small sports cars produced by Nissan. Versions of the Silvia have been marketed as the 200SX or 240SX for export, with some export versions being sold under the Datsun brand. The name "Silvia" is derived from Sylvia, th ...

, produced around the same time, followed later by the

Toyota 2000GT The Toyota 2000GT is a limited-production Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout#Front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door, two-seat sports car/grand tourer designed by Toyota in collaboration with Yam ...

. As the Japanese auto industry began to experience a significant amount of sales, Isuzu also realized they needed an exotic car to draw buyers into showrooms that would then drive sales of more affordable products, like the

Isuzu Bellett The Isuzu Bellett is a subcompact car produced by the Japanese manufacturer Isuzu between 1963 and 1973. Designed by Isuzu, the Bellett replaced the Isuzu Hillman Minx, manufactured by Isuzu under license with the Rootes Group. The car was a ...

. Influenced by Japanese special significance cultural traditions, senior management saw the company as a "premiere" limited production manufacturer and was the only company that didn't offer a ''

kei car Kei car (or , kanji: , "light automobile", ), known variously outside Japan as Japanese city car or Japanese microcar, is the Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars with restricted dimensions and engine capacit ...

'' while most Japanese manufacturers did. The first engine available was a 1.6 L DOHC

inline-four A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...

, and in 1970, an electronic fuel injection unit from Bosch debuted, using the D-Jetronic system. The model fitted with fuel injection was named the EC (for "electronic control"). The car came with a long list of standard equipment (including leather seats, dashboard trim made of Taiwanese

camphor laurel ''Camphora officinarum'' is a species of evergreen tree that is commonly known under the names camphor tree, camphorwood or camphor laurel. Description ''Camphora officinarum'' is native to China south of the Yangtze River, Taiwan, southern ...

wood, and headrests) and was very expensive for Japanese standards. This concerned also the less luxurious 1800N version added in 1971, powered by a simpler 1.8 L

SOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

carbureted A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meterin ...

engine. File:1968-1972 Isuzu 117 Coupe.jpg, 1968–1973 Isuzu 117 Coupé File:1968-1972 Isuzu 117 Coupe rear.jpg, 1968–1973 Isuzu 117 Coupé File:Isuzu G161W 001.JPG, Isuzu G161W 1.6 L engine

Mass production and first facelift

With the 117 Coupé becoming a very popular and desired model, and the advent of the cooperation with

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

, Isuzu decided to shift the model to mass production. This change took place in March 1973. Sales (in the Japanese domestic market) jumped accordingly, from 965 units in 1972 to 9506 units in 1974. The 1.8 L engine became standard, with several versions available, with or without fuel injection and with

valvetrains. Outputs dropped somewhat in October 1975, due to new stricter emissions regulations taking effect. In May 1976 the manual transmissions were changed to five-speed units. File:Isuzu-117Coupe.jpg, 1973–1977 Isuzu 117 Coupé File:Isuzu-117Couperear.jpg, 1973–1977 Isuzu 117 Coupé File:1978 Isuzu 117 Coupe engine.jpg, Isuzu G180W 1.8 L engine

Second facelift

In November 1977, Isuzu decided to afford the 117 Coupe second

facelift A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (from the Ancient Greek () "wrinkle", and () "excision", the surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure used to give a more youthful facial appearance. There are mult ...

, which resulted in replacing the previous front fascia with four round headlights with more modern one rectangular lights (keeping their number at four) as well as a front air dam. In an effort to further decrease manufacturing costs, plastic moldings were used in the interior. In 1978, the 1.95 litre engine debuted, and in 1979 the XD diesel-powered version was added. Starting in 1979, a special version called the Giugiaro Edition was available. Production of the 117 Coupé lasted until 1981, when it was replaced by the

Piazza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

, also styled by Giugiaro. File:1979 Isuzu 117 XT coupe (6108726297).jpg, 1977–1981 Isuzu 117 Coupé File:1979 Isuzu 117 XT coupe (6109284036).jpg, 1977–1981 Isuzu 117 Coupé File:Isuzu 117 Coupe interior 001.JPG, Interior of the handmade product period File:Isuzu117CoupeXC (1).JPG, Steering wheel

References

External links

A page devoted to highlighting Giugiaro's involvement in the 117 design

1968 Isuzu 117 Coupé technical specifications from Carfolio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isuzu 117 Coupe 117 Coupe Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Sports cars Coupés 1970s cars 1980s cars Cars introduced in 1968