1990 Isuzu Pickup Spacecab on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1992 Geo Storm

GM's Geo brand existed from the 1989 through 1997 model years. While mostly remembered today for the Suzuki Cultus-based Metro (which continued to be sold with Chevrolet badging until 2001), there were also Geo Prizms (California-built Toyota Corollas), Geo Spectrums (Isuzu I-Mark), Geo Trackers (Suzuki Sidekick), and Geo Storms (Isuzu Impulse). Storms are very rare now, but I found this one in Colorado last week. The idea of the Geo brand was that it would lure young car buyers in a way that wouldn't be possible with stodgy brands such as Oldsmobile or Buick. While GM never sold as many Geos as hoped, enough hit American roads that they were pretty numerous for a while. 1980s-style pink-and-blue graphics remained relevant into the early 1990s. I'm not sure if these pink decal stripes were done at the factory, at a dealership, or later on in someone's back yard. The Storm GSi was the factory-hot-rod version, but this is an ordinary Storm with the 95-horsepower, 12-valve engine. Automatic transmission, of course. It never made it to 100,000 miles. The car seems to be in good shape, so perhaps something broke at about age 10 and it sat in a garage for the next 15 years. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This ad, like the Storm, was very much of its time. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. GM emphasized the Japanese origins of the Storm. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In Japan, this car was sold as the Yanase-Isuzu PA Nero, a catchy name for a "Nice Day Fair." Featured Gallery Junked 1992 Geo Storm View 16 Photos Auto News Isuzu

Junkyard Gem: 1980 Chevrolet LUV Mikado

During the 1970s and into the 1980s, each member of the Detroit Big Three imported Japanese small pickups and sold them with Ford (Mazda Proceed), Dodge/Plymouth (Mitsubishi Forte), or Chevrolet (Isuzu Faster) badges here. Ford developed the Ranger and killed the Courier for 1983 (though Americans could still buy the Mazda-badged version all the way through 1993), while The General axed the LUV after the S-10 debuted in the 1982 model year. Isuzu sold the same truck as the P'up through 1987, though, and we might as well follow up our recent P'up Junkyard Gem with its LUV predecessor. LUV stood for Light Utility Vehicle, and I've managed to spot a handful in the boneyards over the years. This one now resides in a yard in northeastern Colorado. The Mikado trim package included striped seat upholstery and a sporty steering wheel, plus these cool dash badges. As far as I can tell, no LUV Mikado advertising featured any Gilbert and Sullivan tunes. This one is fairly rusty for Front Range Colorado, and it has endured a bed swap from some other small truck. The engine is the 75-horse Isuzu 1.8-liter. Members of this engine family went into everything from Chevy Chevettes to Isuzu Troopers in the United States. Very unusually for a small pickup during the Malaise Era, this one has a luxurious automatic transmission. Acceleration must have been a leisurely affair in this truck. Air conditioning? Unheard of! Someone stuck every one of their lunchtime apple stickers on the driver's door. After 41 years of work, this truck is done. Come on strong in a LUV of your own!

Junkyard Gem: 1988 Chevrolet Spectrum CL Sedan

After a not-so-successful run selling Opels in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s, The General looked to his partners in the East for the next round of low-priced GM-badged imports. There was the 1985-1988 Chevrolet (Suzuki) Sprint (which later became the Chevy/Geo Metro), 1988-1993 Pontiac (Daewoo) LeMans, and a bunch of Chevrolet and Geo machinery based on the late-1980s Isuzu Gemini. Here's one of the first of those Isuzus: a 1988 Chevrolet Spectrum CL sedan, found in a Northern California self-service wrecking yard. The first model year for the Spectrum (sibling to the U.S.-market Isuzu I-Mark) was 1984, and these cars wore Chevrolet badges through the first part of 1988. At that point, GM decided that its Asian-built imports would belong to the Geo brand starting in the 1989 model year, so 1988 models can be either Geos or Chevrolets, depending on when they were imported. Most Spectrums (Spectra?) were hatchbacks, so a 1988 Chevrolet Spectrum sedan is now one of the rarest 1980s cars sold in the United States. This is yet more evidence that rare does not equal valuable. The interior looks non-thrashed, and the odometer shows a startlingly low reading for a 30-year-old Japanese car. The buildup of rodent bedding in the engine compartment suggests long-term abandonment prior to the car's final ride to this place, possibly dating back 20 years. In keeping with 1980s design trends, the HVAC controls show vivid pink and blue colors, and the option to direct air at your feathered hair or your high-heeled boots. Perhaps the members of Poison owned this car. Most Spectrum buyers would have been too cheap to get air conditioning or an automatic transmission, but this car has both. You just never know what you'll find in the junkyard! This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. As slick as city rain. Featured Gallery Junked 1988 Chevrolet Spectrum sedan View 18 Photos Auto News Isuzu Automotive History