(first posted 10/16/2012) Cohort glen.h has posted a very rare car, a first-generation Isuzu Florian. Named after a fictional white Lipizzaner stallion from the novel “Florian – The Emperor’s Stallion” (the Japanese are well-read), the Florian trotted onto the automotive scene in 1967. I’m not sure who designed it, but I am quite sure Isuzu got some help from one of the Italian design houses; since it was first presented as the Ghia Isuzu 117 at the 1966 Tokyo Auto Show, I’d say it was them. It’s not so apparent in this shot, but the Florian donated its front half to the very popular Isuzu Faster pickup, which was sold here as the Chevy Luv.
It’s a bit easier to see in this shot, although a full profile would be best.
I just happen to have a gen2 Florian in my (bulging) files. Now you can see all that the its Luv child shared.
It also shared the double-cab Faster’s rear doors (this is the only Faster shot I could find). It’s rather apparent that the Florian was designed for trucklike duty from the get-go, which explains its somewhat unusual six-window design and squared-off rear doors. Got to get the most out of that expensive design bill from Ghia!
In the Florian’s case, that Ghia bill was amortized over 16 years, although the design got pretty ugly toward the end due to unchecked Broughamification.
Cool, obscure choice. I love Isuzus (though I couldn’t tell you why), and this one looks nice in its earlier incarnation, in spite of its rear door.
Isuzu cut its teeth building Hillmans so over engineering stuff shouldve come naturally
Strange you should mention Hillman. The red car’s proportions do seem to be BMC-like, even with the design-by-Ghia etc.
Was the Florian body-on-frame? If not, this was an interesting example of a unibody car and BOF truck sharing the same sheet metal …
I believe it was a unibody.
Isuzu had previously used half a Bellet sedan (uni)body for the cab of the bof Wasp pickup.
Interesting cut-line for the doors around the rear wheel-arches. It’s almost straight instead of following the arc of the arch. That’s pretty common these days, but I think it must’ve been quite unusual back then.
Some cars had simple vertical lines all the way down (those stretch-Minis from BMC, Citroen CX), but off the top of my head I can’t think of anything that had a straight angled cut.
Very Saab-ish.
I was just thinking that — it looks like a 99 or 900 that got a makeover from Italdesign or maybe Frua.
Front looks exactly like a mid 80s Wartburg
I thought so, too:)
Love them, the white one pictured at the top is a friends florian, and i own a twin to it too!
Heya,
Yeah that’s my Florian, although awesomely they are not my photos, which means some random has appreciated it enough to photograph it.
Mine is actually a facelifted model; the original had dead-flat headlights and grille along with smaller tail lights and a less fussy rear-end treatment. I’ve only seen two here in Australia; one is in a wrecking yard and the other would be by now.
The Florian was a unibodied car and designed I THINK before the Chevrolet LUV was thought of, although it stands to reason Isuzu were planning something. They were running the Isuzu Bellett-based Wasp (another fully-chassised pick up with a unibodied donor car) which was updated until about 1971 but was well past its due-date by then.
The LUV was wider but shared chassis, suspension, brakes and basically everything mechanical with the Wasp. The only differences were in things that were affected by width.
This changed eventually as the LUV grew more modern, but as you’ve seen that first-gen LUV never lost the Florian doors! Actually, it was the other way around, because while the love went out of commission in about 1980 or so, the Rolls Royce-ified (Wartburg-style!) Florian wound up in about 1985 when it was replaced with the GM J-car, the Isuzu Aska in Japan, Holden Camira in Australia and about a dozen GM models in North America (eg Chevrolet Citation).
Cheers for the love… nobody said they detested it with a passion bordering on murderous, so I’ll take that as validation of its awesomeness!
Dave
Here’s another one; this one has just been fully restored in Australia using a bunch of NOS parts the owner got a few years back.
Of course, his has been slammed as well… mine still has the ride height of a monster truck.
I personally know of about seven roadgoing Florians in Australia. So that’s not many. The Chev LUV (sold through Holden dealers) would have sold 10 times as many at least!
The white is nice, but these look much younger when painted Florian Gray.
Sorry.
This is actually really cool – These obscure Japanese sedans are oddly compelling. I like this a lot.
I like that, having Bellet experience as a kid I appreciate these obscure Isuzus. Those original headlights are rather Opel-like, too bad the Florian wound up such a dog’s breakfast by the end of the run.
Sweet looking car. I’ve heard of the Isuzu Florian, but for some reason, it was never sold in the USA. I remember seeing some pictures of the Isuzu Florian with an early Chevy Luv grille.
The 117 coupe, which also debuted in 1966, was designed by Giugiaro — perhaps he had a hand in the Florian as well… Either way, quite a beautiful car.