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"Odds are, you probably haven&amp;#039;t thought about tiny Japanese manufacturer Isuzu Motors in years. The company hardly sold any vehicles towards the waning end of the 2000s, finishing up in the U.S. market with a pair of rebranded GM SUVs\u2014shades of Saab&amp;#039;s ignominious end. Remember when outrageously exaggerating, fictional spokesperson Joe Isuzu endorsed Mitt Romney? That was a bit weird. But for a short period of time, Isuzu Motors actually built a few decent cars, some of which survive on the road today. These half-dozen examples are perhaps the best still out there, with badges still bearing the name of Japan&amp;#039;s oldest automaker. Who knows? Maybe one or two of them will be collectible someday.  Designed by Italian Giorgetto Giugiaro, the signore behind the DeLorean DMC-12, the Lotus Esprit, and the Maserati Ghibli, the original Impulse was really quite a gorgeous machine. Introduced in 1983 to the U.S. market, the early cars certainly let passersby get a good look\u2014with just 90 hp, performance might be charitably described as &amp;quot;brisk,&amp;quot; but only if there was a bit of a tailwind. The RS model, on the other hand, came with a 2.0-liter turbocharged mill, cranking out 148 horses. With a not-bad 2800-pound curb weight, the Impulse had just enough zip to be interesting. Granted, Impulse power is a long way from warp speed, but for the time, the rear-driver could run with boxy competitors like the Mitsubishi Starion.  In Australia, the second generation Trooper was sold as the Jackeroo, which must surely be the best SUV badge this side of the Canyonero. Whatever the name, this 5500-pound box on wheels was bigger than most apartments in downtown Tokyo, and had a proper four-wheel-drive system with a low-range gearbox and locking hubs. All U.S.-market Troopers were five-seaters, and all came with moderately powerful gasoline engines, rather than the stump-pulling diesels of their overseas relatives. One unique feature about the Trooper was that it was possible to get it with a five-speed manual gearbox.  In 1993, Isuzu replaced a GM-sourced 119-hp V6 with its own 174-hp version, and a decent little SUV got that much better. Much smaller than the Trooper, the Rodeo was about the same size as a Nissan Pathfinder, which it quite closely resembled. Rodeos were built alongside Subaru Legacies in Indiana; although, it would be Honda who&amp;#039;d eventually badge-engineer the four-door SUV as the Passport.  Proudly emblazoned with &amp;quot;Handling by Lotus&amp;quot; badges on its flanks, the next-gen Impulse promised to take up where its angular ancestor left off. Mostly though, it was a disappointment. Except, that is, for this one-year-only model, the 160-hp turbocharged, all-wheel-drive RS. Yes, those flip-up eyelid headlights are a bit goofy, but even with twin viscous differentials front and rear, the Impluse RS remained lightweight and could really stick in the corners. The Lotus Elan only wishes it was this good. With something like 800 examples imported, it&amp;#039;s a rare beast with hard-to-find spare parts.  Basically just a two-door version of the Rodeo, the sprightly Amigo nonetheless attracted quite a cult following for its fun-in-the-sun attitude and go-anywhere capabilites. Two engines were on offer, though almost all Amigos came with the larger V6 of the Rodeo, as the little truck was far too heavy for the wheezy four-cylinder option. The Amigo would eventually be rebranded as the Rodeo Sport just before production wound down.  There&amp;#039;s nothing else like it on the road. Essentially halfway between a halo product and a concept car, the Vehicross went from 1993 concept to 1997 production car with hardly any changes. They hit U.S. shores in 1999 and were immediately recognizeable with their short-wheelbase profile and huge body side-cladding.  With a 230-hp V6 and other bits sourced from the Trooper and one of the cleverest off-road systems of the time, the Vehicross is extremely capable off the beaten path. Very few were sold (just over 4100 in the U.S.). Even now, simply parking one on the street is sure to draw attention. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/features/a4901/features-web-originals-six-forgotten-isuzus/>