Myth Buster
Isuzu Piazza
IT’S A REJECTED VW 1 SCIROCCO DESIGN
Nope. Isuzu commissioned Italdesign to produce a successor to the 117 coupé. The 1979 Asso di Fiori (Ace of Clubs) was the result. Around the same time, Italdesign pitched for (and lost) the job to design the VW Scirocco MkII. The Asso di Fiori was productionised into the JR series Piazza, but the Italdesign Scirocco MkII was quietly forgotten.
2 IT HAD A LOTUS ELAN ENGINE
Wrong again – you’re confusing the M100 Lotus Elan and Handling By Lotus (HBL) Piazza. The former was a front-wheel drive successor to the Elan nameplate. The latter was the Lotus-fettled rear-wheeldrive car JR series Piazza. For the later 1988-1990 cars, known as Handling By Lotus Piazzas, Lotus’ changes were limited to the suspension and body; Hethel did not tune the engine or gearbox.
IT’S A REBODIED 3 VAUXHALL CHEVETTE
No. It’s fairer to say that the Piazza is a heavily reworked, lengthened Isuzu Gemini. GM controlled 33 per cent of Isuzu in the Seventies and passed development duties to its far Eastern satellite. Local GM divisions (Chevrolet, Opel, Vauxhall) added their own running gear. The Piazza and Chevette are related, but it’s not as close as your mate down the pub would have you believe.
A PIAZZA LSD FITS 4 STRAIGHT INTO A CHEVETTE
Not really. Only 1985-1986 preLotus manual ‘G80’ Piazzas came with LSDs. What’s more, you have to turn down the half shafts (because the Piazza is wider) and alter the Chevette body to suit the mounting points on the Piazza axle. The final drive is too short to give any top end in a Chevette or Manta, too.