Old Japanese pickups, like this Isuzu P’up were once a common sight, but it seems they’ve all grown up into big dogs; even the Tacoma seems huge compared to this. Isuzu pickups, whether in the form of Chevy Luvs or their own had a rep for being extra tough, so it’s fitting that this one is still on the street.
Isuzu entered the US market in 1981, with their second generation “Faster” pickup, dubbed “‘up in North America. In other markets it was the Isuzu KB or just Pickup, or the Holden Rodeo in Australasia.
These came in the US with an 80 hp 1.8 L gasser or a 58 hp 2.2 L diesel. Later on the gas engine was enlarged to 1.95 L and the diesel got a turbo to give it a bit more oomph. Both are legendarily rugged; there’s still a diesel Isuzu I Mark clattering around Eugene.
This is of course the short bed version. There was also a long bed job as well as the extended cab Space Cab, which I posted here.
It’s got cloth upholstery; that’s somewhat unexpected. And of course a stick shift, although I’m sure an automatic was available.
The bed is still in quite good condition, as is the resto of it. I’ve seen this sitting in front of this house for quite some years, so it finally deserves its CC 15 minutes of fame.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1988 Isuzu Pickup – No Soup For You!
CC Outtake: Isuzu P’up Space Cab – Still Hauling
Curbside Classic: 1979 Chevy LUV 4×4 (Isuzu Faster) – Tough Love
Nice truck, sort of a mini-me to your F100.
I’d guess that the standard gearbox is a bigger theft deterrent than the club.
I briefly owned a Bedford badged version (UK market) was the 2.2 diesel, and Interestingly had a column shifted 5 speed manual, not sure we got an auto option, but we did get a short wheelbase 4×4, the kb44
Alas like many 80s Japanese built vehicles in the UK rust got most of them, so are a very rare sight now.
Yes, 5 on the tree available on lots of Jap utes here too, including these. All were crappy things to use. By the time you’d wrestled your way to fifth in a very shallow little cabin, any inevitable linkage wear meant you bashed your knuckles on the bloody dash!
Very cool! There is a fairly nice red Pup that runs around our town but it’s the next (last) gen Pup. Though I think they are trying to take care of it, rust is slowly getting the best of it.
I saw an article yesterday about how the imported Kei trucks are now filling the role of these old truly compact pickups. Since Americans need an F-450 to take lil Kaden or Hayden to baseball practice.
My friend here in town has a ’91 Honda Acty and it’s a hoot! Unfortunately, he is 6’3” and has to contort quite wildly to drive it.
Or they get a three-row behemoth and solo drive 80% of the time – because occasionally they need that 3rd row.
I bought a 1986 P’up new in late 1985. Just married and in grad school it was about the only new vehicle I could afford. It was a long wheelbase model in the same color as this subject truck. The only options were air conditioning (a dealer installed drop-in that was really not up to Texas summers), a sliding rear window (why I don’t know the truck came that way) and a rear black powder coated rear bumper (yes those were optional in those days). As stated above the LWB P’up had the 1.9L engine, five speed transmission, and a larger gas tank than the SWB version. Mine had tan vinyl seats, not cloth, which wore very well.
This truck served us well for over four years making many trips between San Antonio and Houston (~200 miles each way), and visits to project sites along the Texas gulf coast. It had well over 100,000 trouble free miles when “Junior” came along in early 1990 and I was forced to trade it on something a bit larger: a Ford F150 SuperCab. Space wise it was like moving from a pup tent (pun intended) to a mansion.
I really think this is one of those neglected/abandoned segments the Chinese will eventually jump all over.
Everyone currently in the truck game dismisses it with “nobody wants a truck that small and spartan” but a starting price starting about $15K would generate a LOT of attention.
Remember, people bought the original Hyundai Excel, and the original Kia Sephia.
I think the market has changed over time. Here in Canada, both Nissan and GM came out with C$10,000 strippers to appeal mostly the the Quebec market. With freight, PDI and taxes the cars went on the road for less than C$13,000, which is pretty cheap for a new car.
The cars were so basic that there were few buyers. Even more expensive and better equipped little hatchbacks like the Accent, Rio and Spark are no more.
We have several brands of Chinese pickup on the market in Australia, for people who think a low initial sale price is all that matters. Personally I’d rather pay more for a quality reputation, and the confidence of knowing the company is serious about providing a parts and service backup. Ask the early Great Wall buyers…
The commonest Chinese pickup I see is the “Black Hole” – I call it that ’cause the grill has a chrome encircled black circle, whatever that’s supposed to signify. I suppose I could walk around to the tailgate to see what it says, but Black Hole will do me. 🙂
Yes
Once upon a time, we could choose among a dozen simple little trucks like this that were fun to drive, easy to buy, cheap to drive, and with few exceptions, stayed on the road for a decade or more.
No more.
I haven’t fully studied the details, but it seem the EPA has determined minimum fuel economy for pickups shall be based upon the “footprint” (wheelbase x track) of each truck. NHTSA has decided that pickups shall meet most (all?) of the same safety standards as passenger cars, which was certainly not the case in the 1980s.
Combining those two ideas, I don’t think there’s any path towards selling a truck like this in the US any more.
… EPA has determined minimum fuel economy for pickups shall be based upon the “footprint” (wheelbase x track) of each truck.
IIRC that was put in at the automakers’ request.
Safety standards are driven more by market (and marketing) demands than by government regulation at this point. IIHS has more sway here than NHTSA since they hand out the star ratings and “Top Safety Pick” awards.
I drive a similar Luv pickup on a regular basis. It’s honestly the most handy vehicle to own. Big shame that they’ve been discontinued.
1981 LUV 4×4, slowly returning to the environment in southeast Ohio.
Isuzu utes and 4wds still most popular in these parts, and still very reliable too. The badge is well-regarded here. I’ve mentioned here before that when the Oz Army bought Landrover Defenders years ago, they fitted them all with 4 litre Isuzu diesel fours (and many, many are still soldiering on in private use today).
A query, what on earth is the vinyl scrotum patch for the middle seat passenger? It rather comically seems to be saying “This part isn’t really a seat”, which, what with the central victim sitting on his tailbone knees akimbo over the trans tunnel, I guess it kind-of isn’t, but the comical part is, it unarguably still IS!
I’ve seen squab indentations for floorshift bench-seated cars, especially little Japanese utes, but this is really saying to the buyer, “Look, pretend it’s a cut-out, would you, we couldn’t be bothered, and it’s not as if you paid a lot for this car, ok?”
Btw, I suspect this little ole dog hasn’t done moonshot miles, because the cloth on that bench is in remarkable condition.
Basic styling is as attractive, or better, than Chev S-10 styling. Original S-10 design was very square/angular. Softer-edged styling here, has aged better. In fact, the early ’80s P’up reminds me somewhat of the late ’90’s aero F-150. Or even the redesigned S-10. Slightly more softer edges on the Isuzu, and it would have previewed late ’90’s pickup design.
Unfortunately, many P’ups and LUVs were so spartan. Their good looks were not often enough explored.
I always thought of them as a bit of a preview of the GMT400’s look.
Clean and advanced styling for its era.
I dont remember seeing hardly any of these when they were new, even here in Japanese import land, Los Angeles.
There is an amazing number of old Toyota trucks, pickup and stake bed, still on the road here. 1st gen Rangers are also survivors.
Sad that this market seems to have evaporated .
As mentioned, here in La La Land ‘crackerjack’ pickups from the 70’s & 80’s are still in good demand as work trucks, they get them when grandpa dies and run them into the ground =8-( .
I didn’t like the S-10s when new but in spite of serious engineering defects they ran and ran and ran…. still a few here and there, mostly 4 bangers .
I think the big fault of those older Japanese trucks was the cramped interiors, when I was younger no big deal .
Now that I’m old and stiff (not to mention fat) I find my 20 year old Ranger is the smallest I want to deal with, small doors yet good leg length inside .
My late father in law briefly had an Isuzu Diesel pickup, he ran it out of oil on the freeway in a bad rain storm and nearly killed me getting it home again .
Technically Kei trucks are not road legal in California but I still see a few here and there, mostly used in parks and golf courses as ‘turf trucks’ but with Ca. Commercial plates .
-Nate
A little late to the party here, but thanks for posting this P’up. I do luv these trucks and we had two of them back in the day. Both the Chevy-badged LUV versions. The last a 1981 long bed, 2wd, with the standard 3-speed transmission.
I wish that I still had more of it than just the owner’s manual. (Which I might note is actually rusting/continuing to rust. If only they’d made the truck out of paper, it may still be with us.)
“Keep With Vehicle At All Times”. Whoops.
I still see one or two out here in Bend although it’s been a while since I’ve spotted a LUV in the wild. There used to be a couple of Izuzus at Intel circa 2015-16., a spce cab an d a diesel long bed. These days you’re more likely to see a grey import HiAce than a P’up. After a wave of Landcruiser 70s, and kei trucks the HiAce and Delica are the new darlings of Oregon import buyers.