Isuzu 117 Coupé 1st generation (PA90/PA95/PA96/PAD96)

Isuzu entrusted the 117 Coupé's concept, design, packaging and styling to Carrozzeria Ghia, where Giugiaro, then Ghia's chief designer, took charge. Giugiaro later left Ghia to go independent and founded Italdesign, but his work with Isuzu continued. In response to Isuzu's top management, who wanted at all costs to sell the 117 Sport show car, Giugiaro himself carried out the revisions for production, mainly increasing the interior height while keeping the original beauty as far as possible. Guiding the car into mass production became Italdesign's first job.

The body panels Giugiaro drew could not be reproduced with presses using Isuzu's manufacturing technology of the time, and the company, in financial difficulty, had no room for capital investment. Isuzu decided to press only the rough lines and to do most of the process, such as trimming and drilling holes, by hand, and so brought the car to market. This is why the early model is called the "Handmade"; automation of assembly never progressed, and total production over three years came to only 2,458 units.