CarBrandLogos archive · Isuzu · 1968

Isuzu117 Coupé

Giugiaro drew it for a show stand; Isuzu then built it by hand for four years.

The story

A defining chapter in Isuzu history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Isuzu 117 Coupé, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Isuzu showed a coupé at Geneva in 1966 with bodywork by Ghia, drawn by a young Giorgetto Giugiaro. It was well received, and unusually for a show car of that era it reached production essentially unchanged three years later.

Isuzu 117 Coupe interior 001 · Tennen-Gas · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

Getting there was expensive. The 117's compound-curved panels defeated Isuzu's tooling, so early cars were effectively hand-built, the panels beaten and finished by a small team at the Kawasaki plant, with output measured in dozens per month. Those first cars — now known as the handmade 117s — carried the 1.6-litre G161W twin-cam with fuel injection, making them among the earliest Japanese production cars with electronic injection, and they cost about what a much larger imported car cost.

1968-1972 Isuzu 117 Coupe · TTTNIS · CC0

In production

From the early 1970s Isuzu retooled for pressed panels and the price came down, turning the 117 into a car a well-off Japanese professional could actually buy. Later versions grew to 1.8, 1.9 and 2.2 litres, gained a diesel option, and in 1977 received square headlights and heavier bumpers that most enthusiasts consider a step backwards from Giugiaro's original nose.

1968-1972 Isuzu 117 Coupe rear · TTTNIS · CC0

Legacy

Production ran to 1981, when the Piazza — also Giugiaro, also built on Isuzu saloon underpinnings — replaced it. The 117 never sold in large numbers and was barely exported, but it settled Giugiaro's reputation with Japanese manufacturers, a relationship that went on to produce the Gemini, the Piazza and a long line of work for other firms. Good early cars are now among the most sought-after Japanese classics.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Engine

Petrol engine

Designer

Giorgetto Giugiaro

Body

2-door coupé

Technical specification

The 117 Coupé, in detail.

Production: December 1968 – May 1981
Class: Sports car
Body style: 2-door coupé
Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Engine: Petrol engine; Petrol: ; 1584 cc List of Isuzu engines#G160/G161; G161W DOHC Straight-four engine; I4 (1968–1972; PA90) ; 1817 cc List of Isuzu engines#G180; G180N/SS/Z Overhead camshaft#Single overhead camshaf
Transmission: 4-speed manual transmission; manual (1968–1981; 1.6/1.8 L) ; 5-speed manual (1976–1981; 1.9/2.2 L) ; 3-speed automatic transmission; automatic (1975–1981; 1.8/1.9/2.2 L)
Designer: Giorgetto Giugiaro
Assembly: Japan: Kawasaki, Kanagawa (Kawasaki Plant)
Manufacturer: Isuzu