1992 Isuzu Rodeo 4x4 on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 2005 Isuzu Ascender

We know the GMT360 platform best as the basis for the Chevrolet Trailblazer and GMC Envoy, but there were four additional trucks in the GMT360 family: the 2002-2004 Oldsmobile Bravada, the 2004-2007 Buick Rainier, the 2005-2009 Saab 9-7X, and the 2003-2008 Isuzu Ascender. All these trucks were more or less the same, but the Isuzu is by far the rarest; I searched for a junkyard Ascender for months before I found this one in Arizona. Exact production figures are tough to find, and some will tell you that the Saab 9-7X is even more rare. In wrecking yards, though, I see SaaBlazers pretty regularly, but it has been like pulling teeth to find an Ascender. Perhaps the Saab name adds more value than the Isuzu name, when you're searching for a used SUV. Isuzu dealerships in the United States sold Ascenders until the fateful day in 2009 when the company packed up and left the country. Had the Daewoo brand stuck around in the United States past 2002, we might have seen a Daewoo-badged GMT360 as well. Ascenders were built in Ohio and Oklahoma. This one, photographed in Phoenix, came from the latter plant. Most of the GMT360s could be had with various flavors of V8 engines as optional equipment, but nearly all of these trucks came with the Vortec 4200 4.2-liter straight-six. My 1941 Plymouth project car is getting one of these engines. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. "When it comes to power and space and value, three out of three is not bad." Featured Gallery Junked 2005 Isuzu Ascender View 20 Photos Auto News Isuzu ascender

Honda and Isuzu announce hydrogen partnership for heavy-duty trucks

TOKYO — Japan's Honda and Isuzu on Wednesday said they would jointly research the use of hydrogen fuel cells to power heavy-duty trucks, looking to expand fuel cell use by applying the zero-emission technology to larger vehicles. As part of a two-year deal, Isuzu will test Honda's fuel cell powertrain, which was designed for passenger cars, in Isuzu's commercial trucks, the companies said, which could pave the way for using the technology in a wider range of vehicles. Automakers are looking to develop more electric vehicles (EVs) to comply with tightening global emissions regulations. Many see battery-powered EVs as a solution for passenger cars in urban settings, but a growing number see hydrogen fuel cells as an effective way to power trucks, buses and other big vehicles. "Although we have done extensive R&D into passenger FCVs (fuel cell vehicles), we have not been able to study how best to apply the technology to commercial vehicles," a Honda spokesman told reporters at a briefing. "This partnership will allow us to do that." Fuel cell vehicles generate their own electricity using hydrogen stored in onboard tanks. This enables them to travel longer distances and refuel more quickly than battery EVs, while using less costly energy storage systems. "We think that FCV technology is well suited for heavier trucks which travel longer distances, and this partnership will enable us to examine this further," an Isuzu spokeswoman said, adding that the truck maker was also developing various lower-carbon powertrains including battery-electric technology for shorter-distance vehicles. With its Clarity Fuel Cell sedan, Honda is one of a handful of automakers which have developed and marketed fuel cell-powered passenger cars. Light- and medium-sized truck specialist Isuzu has for years has focused on diesel engine technology and has yet to market fully electric vehicles. But a price tag starting around $70,000 for the Clarity and scant hydrogen fueling infrastructure globally, Honda has seen limited take-up of that model and other FCVs since they began marketing them around 2015. In 2018 Honda sold just 654 Clarity FCVs, which are available only in Japan and the United States through leasing programs, compared with Honda's total annual global sales of 5.23 million cars.

Junkyard Gem: 1988 Chevrolet Spectrum CL Sedan

After a not-so-successful run selling Opels in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s, The General looked to his partners in the East for the next round of low-priced GM-badged imports. There was the 1985-1988 Chevrolet (Suzuki) Sprint (which later became the Chevy/Geo Metro), 1988-1993 Pontiac (Daewoo) LeMans, and a bunch of Chevrolet and Geo machinery based on the late-1980s Isuzu Gemini. Here's one of the first of those Isuzus: a 1988 Chevrolet Spectrum CL sedan, found in a Northern California self-service wrecking yard. The first model year for the Spectrum (sibling to the U.S.-market Isuzu I-Mark) was 1984, and these cars wore Chevrolet badges through the first part of 1988. At that point, GM decided that its Asian-built imports would belong to the Geo brand starting in the 1989 model year, so 1988 models can be either Geos or Chevrolets, depending on when they were imported. Most Spectrums (Spectra?) were hatchbacks, so a 1988 Chevrolet Spectrum sedan is now one of the rarest 1980s cars sold in the United States. This is yet more evidence that rare does not equal valuable. The interior looks non-thrashed, and the odometer shows a startlingly low reading for a 30-year-old Japanese car. The buildup of rodent bedding in the engine compartment suggests long-term abandonment prior to the car's final ride to this place, possibly dating back 20 years. In keeping with 1980s design trends, the HVAC controls show vivid pink and blue colors, and the option to direct air at your feathered hair or your high-heeled boots. Perhaps the members of Poison owned this car. Most Spectrum buyers would have been too cheap to get air conditioning or an automatic transmission, but this car has both. You just never know what you'll find in the junkyard! This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. As slick as city rain. Featured Gallery Junked 1988 Chevrolet Spectrum sedan View 18 Photos Auto News Isuzu Automotive History