Isuzu · Piazza

Isuzu Piazza 1st generation (JR120/130)

Years: 1981–1991
Chassis: JR120/130
Drivetrain: FR

Image: Iwao from Tokyo, Japan / CC BY-SA 2.0

Story

Planned as the successor to the 117 Coupe, it went on sale keeping almost exactly the form of Giugiaro's design car "Asso di Fiori".

Stories

Asso di Fiori

Isuzu, planning a successor to the 117 Coupé, asked Giugiaro for a design. The following March, Giugiaro showed the "Asso di Fiori" at the Geneva show, the culmination of the "Asso series" he had worked on since the early 1970s. Its styling theme was the fusion of aerodynamics and roominess through perfectly flush surfaces and a wedge-shaped form. After the "Isuzu X," which enlarged its dimensions and refined its details, it went into production as the "Piazza."

Giorgetto Giugiaro

Chassis

Front

Double wishbone

Rear

Rigid axle

Curb weight: 1,250kg

Production plants

Kawasaki Plant
Kawasaki, Kanagawa

US import eligibility

Earliest cars: Eligible since June 200625 years after sales began in June 1981
Last cars: Eligible since 201625 years after sales ended in 1991 (month not recorded)

Eligibility depends on each car's month of manufacture on its build plate, not on the sale dates shown here (NHTSA).

Japanese cars by US import year →

Engineers

Giorgetto Giugiaro

A world-renowned car designer. He has had a very close relationship with Isuzu since the late sixties, and designed the Piazza as well as the 117 Coupe and the second-generation Gemini. The Asso di Fiori, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, went on sale as the Piazza two years after its unveiling.