Isuzu VehiCross

A little history

For a long time, four-wheel-drive cars were regarded as utilitarian and rather clumsy vehicles. One of the first manufacturers to break away from the yoke of habit was Isuzu. With its VehiCross prototype, first revealed in 1993 during the Tokyo motor show, the Japanese company allowed a glance to the forward-looking sport utility vehicle of the future. Better yet, it entered production four years later as a relatively similar two-door car, graced by an unusual-yet-pleasing styling. With its short wheelbase and large wheels, the VehiCross looked compact, but aggressive. Designed as a showcase of Isuzu’s technology, the VehiCross had as much to be proud of on the inside than on the outside, most notably its advanced transmission system.

Exclusive and perhaps a little too daring for the times, the VehiCross sold on its home market and in the U.S. in quantities that from the very start had been intended to be limited – the car was, above all, an image-builder. Though many Californians seemed to appreciate the fun offered by such a concept, this wasn’t enough to justify maintaining the car in production for long, all the more as Isuzu was facing increasing difficulties. Even if a four-door variant and a ragtop were once contemplated, the VehiCross was pulled out of the assembly line as early as in 2001. By that time, less than six thousands had been constructed, guaranteeing its status as a future collectible.

About the models

Model: Isuzu VehiCross
Year: c.1997
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: brand new, in November 2004, in Manila, Philippines

Far from perfect, but cost-effective! As you probably noticed by now my preference goes to vintage cars so that’s a nice way to save a little budget for more desirable items. My main concern goes to the opening doors that don’t fit particularly well but, hey, that’s a toy! My rating is 9/20.

Model: Isuzu VehiCross
Year: c.1997
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/72
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: brand new, in November 2003, in Manila, Philippines

Cararama succeeded in retaining most of the details of its 1/43 scale model for its smaller 1/72 variant. The opening doors are unsurprisingly gone though – good riddance! Worth a good 13/20 in my opinion, considering the size.

Model: Isuzu VehiCross
Year: c.1999
Maker: Hot Wheels
Scale: 1/64
Distributed by: Hot Wheels
Acquired: second hand without packaging, possibly in 2005, in Manila, Philippines

Hot Wheels proposes its own interpretation of the VehiCross. All of what is to be expected from HW models is here: eyes-hurting decoration, (slightly) oversized wheels and gross simplification. Overall shapes are rather well respected though, so it’s 12/20.

Isuzu BX

A little history

The first new bus offered by Isuzu after the end of World War Two appeared in January 1948 as the 5-ton, 50-seater BX91. A BX141 followed (possibly in 1956 or 1957, I only have scarce information), then a BX341 in 1959. The latter was very well received and became a familiar sight on Japanese roads during the Sixties, but nonetheless Isuzu soon abandoned the “bonnet” series to concentrate on cab-over commercial vehicles.

About the model

Model: Isuzu BX341
Year: c.1959
Maker: Tomy
Scale: 1/100
Distributed by: Tomica Limited
Acquired: brand new, in August 2005, in Manila, Philippines

Presented as an “Isuzu Bonnet” by Tomica, this seems to be a BX341 but I may be wrong. The scale is somewhat unusual, but I couldn’t resist getting this little model when I saw it. Detailing is fine for such a tiny die-cast and the paint job is well done. My rating is 14/20.

Isuzu Trooper

A little history

Isuzu broke into the then-burgeoning market of what we today call “SUVs” in 1981, thanks to the Trooper, a large and squarish part-time four-wheel-drive station wagon available in both two- and four-door versions. Though there was nothing particularly exciting about it, a character the car would retain throughout its life, it sold rather well, particularly in the United States where SUVs were slowly becoming fashionable. Furthermore, in a superb demonstration of badge-engineering, a field in which General Motors had become a master, Isuzu produced the Trooper for a variety of other manufacturers around the world.

In 1987, the little originality the car could had on the outside was wiped out by some folk with a pencil who drew five squares figuring the grille, the headlights and the turn signals – Isuzu called such a bold move a “facelift”. Four years later, the original Trooper was gone… but replaced by a new Trooper, larger and more powerful than the previous one, but as bland externally. Engines, which all felt until then within the 2- to 3-litre bracket, were now all above the 3-litre mark – once again, Isuzu had the American market in mind. On the other hand, the new Trooper retained the part-time 4WD transmission of its predecessor, which necessitated a full stop in order to engage the front axle.

The second-generation Trooper received two facelifts in 1997 and 2000, and these proved much more tasteful than the 1987 mess. Nonetheless, increased competition, the relative lack of interest from struggling GM towards Isuzu (which would ultimately end with the company complete withdrawal from the lucrative North American market) and nasty rumours about the car’s safety records all conspired against the Trooper. In Europe where it was sold as the Opel (or Vauxhall) Monterey, the car’s career was equally inglorious. Therefore, production was suspended in 2003 without a direct successor, though the car remained available for a few more years on some specific markets.

About the model

Model: Isuzu Bighorn Plaisir
Year: 2000
Maker: Rakachi
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Rakachi (Japanese market only)
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

“Aganus Jam – Rakachi”, spells the box. I identified the maker as “Rakachi”, but I’m still at a loss about what “Aganus Jam” refers to. This very box is rather funny, for the company has mimicked the style and the lettering used by Minichamps. The comparison stops here, though. Rakachi’s scale model of a Bighorn – a Trooper but in name – is rather crude, and for me is more reminiscent of Cararama than of any high-end industrial die-cast makers. The outside mirrors and the dashboard are simply hideous. Anyway, the model is rather original, and I paid it a fair price (about four and a half euros, quite a bargain). I won’t give more than 8/20 to it, however.

Isuzu 117

After the Maserati Ghibli, let’s jump to another Giugiaro design of the era, the Isuzu 117.

A little history

By 1966, the Isuzu Bellel entered its fifth year in production. Though relatively elegant, and enjoying an optional diesel engine which made it quite attractive to fleet operators, the mid-sized car had proved to be a commercial flop. In 1965, an updated body also failed to push the sales upward. Time had come for a replacement.

The new car was known as the 117 among Isuzu’s engineers and designers. Nevertheless, when it was released for the 1967 model year, it bore the name Florian. As the Bellel before it, the new car was offered as either a four-door sedan or a station wagon. A third model was nonetheless on the way: a coupe that had already been shown to the public as early as spring 1966, during the Geneva motor show.

An exclusive vehicle exhibiting all of Isuzu’s know-how, the coupe, which unlike its two companions retained 117 as a name, was put into limited production during 1968. Built by hand with extreme care, fitted with posh appointments, the 117 retained the Florian’s platform but received a brand new 1.6-litre, dual overhead camshafts engine – a first in its country of origin. Positioning itself beyond any doubt out of the mainstream, the 117 shunned the convoluted styling that was typical of Japanese cars of the time, and received simple and graceful lines drawn for it by Ghia’s Giorgetto Giugiaro.

During its first years in production the 117 remained seldom seen on Japanese roads – Isuzu had wanted it this way. For the company’s flagship, the only raisons d’être were luxury and innovation – the 117 received the country’s first engine fed by electronic fuel injection, courtesy of Bosch, in 1970.

All this changed in 1971. American giant General Motors, eying on the growing Japanese market, signed an agreement with Isuzu and, all of a sudden, low-volume, exclusive vehicles produced for corporate image were crossed out of the company’s agenda. To keep its place among Isuzu’s models, the 117 had to sell in much larger quantities. A new 1800 N, simpler and much cheaper, was immediately introduced. Yearly production could have been previously counted in hundreds; from then on it was a four-digit figure.

The later life of the 117 isn’t its happier time. Cost-cutting policies and the decade’s obsession with plastic signed the death warrant of the original marquetry. For its tenth model year in production, the 117 received an uncanny facelift – to say the truth, it was probably welcomed back then as the car’s body clearly showed the signs of an advancing age, but today’s car enthusiast can only favour the original lines traced in Italy during the Sixties. Finally, the 117 received an optional 2.2-litre diesel engine, a disgrace for a vehicle born as a sports car. The agony finally ended in 1981, when Isuzu released the 117’s long awaited successor, the striking Piazza.

About the model

Model: Isuzu 117
Year: 1968
Maker: Ebbro
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Ebbro, “Oldies” series ref. 43620
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

I was recently reading on a forum from someone putting Ebbro in the same league as Ixo or Vitesse, and below Minichamps and Auto Art in terms of quality. I do not share this opinion, and this particular model is a testimony to the fact that Ebbro models are indeed as good as Minichamps’ ones. The 117, as it appeared when first released, is flawlessly rendered by the Japanese maker, which well deserves a 15/20 rating for its efforts.