History in the making

 

Who could have imagined, on that snowy winter in Grand Rapids, MI, that a little white Isuzu with the front bashed in would have made such an impression? Purchased for a mere $100 and restored back to life, it was such an amazing machine that it caused the automotive obsession I now possess, for better or worse. More history will follow soon, but first, the premiere article of our publication Back Streets:

 

1990-93 Geo Storm/Isuzu Impulse

     If I were to mention in passing that there was no such thing as a Geo brand, you would most likely scoff and point out that your neighbor/nephew/sister-in-law has one. May I submit that the “Geo” badge you see on the back of that Storm isn’t really there. General Motors, in one of their countless foreign alliances, teamed up with various overseas companies to market their vehicles here under the “Geo” name. But make no mistake, not one of these cars is a GM car in any way. GM simply owns the name.
     Possibly the best result of this mess was the Geo Storm, GM’s version of the quite rare Isuzu Impulse. Sit an Impulse and Storm side by side and you’ll see the similarities. Different front and rear fascias, perhaps, but it’s the same car underneath. Sadly, GM’s bean counters noticed these two models outselling their own entire catalog of small cars combined, and pulled the plug on U.S. distribution in 1993.
     Youngsters today laud the Honda Civic and its ilk as the best compact hatchbacks around, but don’t believe everything you hear out of the mouths of babes. The Storm/Impulse models are every bit as good, better styled and more engaging to drive. Spring for the 1992-93 Storm GSi if you can, to get the bigger, smoother DOHC 1.8 Liter engine. Rated at 140 horsepower (more than virtually every 1990s Civic save the high-revving Civic Si), it also has the torque the earlier Isuzu engines were missing.
     Find yourself a manual transmission if you can, as the automatic won’t let the engine work properly. Of course, as always in a compact hatchback of this nature, the backseat is reserved for those of few years and those with the desire to have little or no circulation in their legs. Steering is light, sharp, and precise all at the same time, shaming most modern sports cars nearly twenty years later in the process. As good as the Storm is, however, the Impulse is even better.
     Free from the constraints of GM’s name game (but not from their horrible business dealings), Isuzu created a underrated masterpiece in the compact arena. Some may argue back with more power or what have you, but for the money, this was an incredible bargain. And still is. Impulses featured the same engines as the Storms, but added four-wheel disc brakes and an amazing Lotus-developed suspension. For those of you who know who Lotus is, and what they stand for, I’ll say no more. This car was absolutely glued to corners, the way local folk are glued to the TV on UT game nights.
     The gem you really want to dig for, however, is the ultimate model, featured in 1991 only. That would be the Isuzu Impulse RS. Only eight hundred were ever produced here, but it’s worth the hunt to track one down. The RS model had a turbocharged 1.6 Liter engine coupled with all-wheel-drive. If the “regular” Lotus suspension was merely glued to road, the 160-horsepower RS was cemented with the kind of adhesive you could only special-order from industrial supply catalogs in your dad’s basement.
     The Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, for example, may have been more common, but who wants common? Let’s bring back our sense of originality and style over functionality. In these days of gas prices spiking and a general sense of conformity, spring for something that stands out, gets fantastic mileage and still performs every time you want it to.

• Price: $500-$2,000
• Watch for: rust on fenders/wheelwells
• First modifications: intake, exhaust, boost controller (RS model)
• Best place to learn more: Isuzone Impulse/Storm Forums