- Overshadowed by its Geo Storm sibling and undermined by Isuzu’s focus on SUVs, the second-generation Impulse is a forgotten gem, and the all-wheel-drive RS Turbo is the fastest, rarest version.
- A high-tech pocket rocket, this Impulse also features a Lotus-tuned suspension, passive rear-wheel steering, anti-lock brakes, and a functional hood scoop.
- With just 27,000 miles on the clock, this is one of the nicest remaining examples of a fun, obscure, and very collectible car.
For a car that struggled to get noticed when it was new, the second-generation Isuzu Impulse RS Turbo isn’t shy. It’s loud, raw, and quick, and if you’re behind one at a stoplight, it advertises its “all wheel drive/intercooled turbo” status right on the back in all-caps decals. There are also “Handling by Lotus” and “DOHC” badges on the sides. If Isuzu had added decals or plaques for all of this punchy pocket rocket’s laundry list of tech, it might have ended up looking like a Winston Cup car.
Despite all those features, sporty looks, and an available shooting-brake body style, Isuzu sold fewer than 10,000 second-gen Impulses in the U.S. before it axed its car line in 1993. Despite that ignominious end, the Impulse went out with a bang. This 27,000-mile 1991 Impulse RS Turbo AWD for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos) is the ne plus ultra of Impulses. With 160 horsepower and moves to rival Integra GS-Rs and 240SXs, this unsung hero is one of just 600 U.S.-market turbos.
The Impulse’s problem was that its main adversary wasn’t the Integra or 240SX but the Geo Storm, its GM sibling from the start of development in 1985. GM owned 35 percent of Isuzu then, and the Storm would theoretically boost production and profits for Isuzu’s tiny car division, make replacing the aging first-generation Impulse easier, and provide Chevy with a fun, high-quality small coupe.
In reality, while the Geo didn’t get the Impulse’s best performance bits, it was cheaper, obviously related, and enjoyed a bigger dealer network and much more marketing budget. Geo sold 280,000 Storms while Impulses gathered dust. By 1991, Americans also thought of Isuzu as an SUV brand. They flocked to showrooms for the Amigo, Rodeo, and Trooper, not its cars. Meanwhile, Japan’s souring economy also meant poor sales at home, which led to the company’s 1992 decision to cancel its U.S. car line and ultimately stop building cars altogether.
Still, Isuzu swung for the fences with the Impulse and Storm designs. The spaceship-like coupes were created under the eye of Isuzu’s Takao Honda, and the wagonback was sketched by one of Isuzu’s first female designers, Masayo Nagata. They had advice from high up, too, with GM design VP Chuck Jordan consulting on the designs at the firm’s Fujisawa studios. The Impulse looks more menacing, and those “eyebrow” lights resemble the Lamborghini Jarama’s.
Mechanically, they were just as bold, incorporating a Lotus-tuned suspension, Isuzu’s own Nishiboric passive rear-wheel steering, all-wheel drive with a 43:57 front-to-rear torque split, optional anti-lock brakes, and punchy twin-cam, 16-valve engines, including the optional 1.6-liter, 160-horse turbo. Lotus, also owned by GM back then, borrowed Isuzu’s turbo four and five-speed gearbox for the Elan M100 roadster.
Delayed by labor shortages in Japan, the Impulse was introduced in 1989 but it didn’t arrive until the spring of 1990. That year, it came only as the XS coupe, with a 130-hp 1.6-liter twin-cam four, the Storm’s more powerful optional engine, and a four-speed automatic or a five-speed manual. In 1991, Isuzu added the wagonback XS and the all-wheel-drive RS Turbo coupe, which would be the two rarest versions, but the RS, while included in the 1992 brochure, lasted just that one year and only 600 were shipped over, all manuals.
Sprightly and grippy, the all-wheel-drive turbo was a genuinely entertaining car, as we discovered in an April 1992 comparo. It was noisy and unrefined, probably thanks to attempts to keep the price down, but it could certainly keep up with other rad-era rivals like the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Integra GS-R, and Honda Prelude. It’s still a fun ride with a devoted cult following today.
The tribe of classic Isuzu owners is tight-knit, active, and inclusive, with a lively Facebook group (Isuzone) and regular drives. This car has been offered for sale in that group before and is considered to be one of the nicest, lowest-mileage RSs in existence. It rides on non-original wheels (the originals are included) and has lost its rear windshield wiper, but it’s otherwise a minter and ready to roll. Best of all, Impulses (and Storms) are hardy cars; they’re easy to live with, though their rarity makes some parts hard to get.
If you’re ready to be Radwood royalty and enter the Isuzone, the auction ends on August 14.
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
