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1977 Buick Opel by Isuzu

12K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  rrossjr 
#1 ·
Hope I got this posting format okay for the reader.... On the way up to Easton, PA and my fatbike run on the Delaware Canal and the D&L Canal Trail up to Allentown, PA, I passed by a yellow car that made me do a double take. A few days later, I fatbiked on the Delaware & Raritan Canal for the express purpose of looking over this car. A died in the wool, time capsule of a car I've not seen in years but in pictures on the 'Net. 1977 Buick Opel by Isuzu. 26 thousand miles. For sale at 6 thousand dollars. Disclaimer: I have no bones in this sale at all. Did not talk to the owner to learn of it's history. But I have an interest in seeing that the people who care about these cars (ie: this site) have a crack at seeing this thing. It's not listed on Ebay or Craigslist as far as I have seen, just a local sale....
 

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#2 ·
Interior Shots.....

I noted the driver side, ourboard seat bolster had a rip about 4 inches long where the seams meet. Other than that, just a super clean white vinyl seats, black carpet and a crack free dashboard.
 

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#3 ·
Odds and Ends....

I did not open the hood nor look under the chassis. Not sure if I spotted a paint bubble on the hood or if it was the early morning frost giving way to water.... Look down the sides of the car in good sunlight and I saw no waves. It appears to have been repainted. The color of the hood does not exactly match the rest of the car. Steel rims have been nicely restored and the front bearing seal cap shows it is brand new, indicating front wheel bearing service was done. Perfect side stripe, this one appears correct but it does not have the Buick/Opel lettering that I have seen on earlier models. The grill is 100 percent crack free perfect. The front and rear bumpers show shiny good chrome however there are small dings on both of them, but very little of them to note. 4 Speed Manual, no rips in the gaiter boot. Motorola radio. Compared to an all black interior, this one must be a pleasure to sit in on a warm, sunny day.
 

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#4 ·
Final Thoughts...

I've never seen one of these in near 40 years and at that, nothing as clean and nice as this one. Truly worthy of standing alongside any German Opel at Carlisle or the Deutsch Classic in Fleetwood or any local car show.

If I had the money.....:p Well, although the yellow is nice, there was an American Rallye version of this car, called the S/C. Blacked out grill. Blacked out hood. Blacked out rims. I believe it had the front fog lights like the Rallyes had. That's what I'd do. Along with a performance exhaust to give it a nice growl and whatever goodies in the engine compartment to make it perform more reliably with a touch more power.

So picture this car in white with the blackout treatment, maybe some period style BBS RS style black laced rims and the Rallye treatment is complete. But as is, this car is a stunner to see it in 2016; at least for this Opel fan. Hope you enjoyed it, as well.

PS: Again, I've nothing in this car. If anyone would be interested, I'd be more than happy to go up there and contact the owner and let him know of any Opeler's interest in this Japanese Kadett.
 

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#6 ·
I've never seen one of these in near 40 years and at that, nothing as clean and nice as this one. Truly worthy of standing alongside any German Opel at Carlisle or the Deutsch Classic in Fleetwood or any local car show.

If I had the money.....:p Well, although the yellow is nice, there was an American Rallye version of this car, called the S/C. Blacked out grill. Blacked out hood. Blacked out rims. I believe it had the front fog lights like the Rallyes had. That's what I'd do. Along with a performance exhaust to give it a nice growl and whatever goodies in the engine compartment to make it perform more reliably with a touch more power.

So picture this car in white with the blackout treatment, maybe some period style BBS RS style black laced rims and the Rallye treatment is complete. But as is, this car is a stunner to see it in 2016; at least for this Opel fan. Hope you enjoyed it, as well.

PS: Again, I've nothing in this car. If anyone would be interested, I'd be more than happy to go up there and contact the owner and let him know of any Opeler's interest in this Japanese Kadett.
Can you find out.. my friend has been on the lookout for an Opel (other than GT)

thanks
Matt
 
#5 ·
Good little cars if still solid.

MOST mechanicals are Isuzu Imark, BUT the suspension ( and possibly brakes) are European Kadett C.

Brother had one about 20 years ago..

Would be nice to see a few of them saved.
 
#10 ·
Tim, correct me if I'm wrong, but aside from the grille and rear end, interior bits, motor and tranny, this looks to be the same car as the German Kadett. Kind of like a Fender Stratocaster built in Japan or Mexico.... :) And too rare to see it end up in the hands of someone who does not appreciate these for what they represented in a time when Opel was forced by GM to leave our market.

If I didn't have enough irons in my own fire to complete, this thread would be titled Here's My New Opel By Isuzu! :veryhappy

PS: I'd take that dog, too. I can see the ladies swooning on the little critter just fine!

...err, cat, whatever the heck it is, that Mr Bigglesworth looking thing!
 
#9 ·
That's tempting, buddy! On another front, I took the pictures on the first road trip for a car I picked up Saturday, a 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth. I'd think you'd approve, especially the exhaust system, which has a nice growl to it due to no mufflers getting in the way. You and Dave probably are the only folks on this site who know how deep I'm into projects without end! But then again, man, I was considering the aspects of getting this car, you betcha!
 
#12 ·
Very cool find, Mike.
When it comes to old cars, I gravitate towards the odd stuff, and they don't come much odder than "GM's Opel by Isuzu". :veryhappy
Like you, I've never seen one in this condition. Obviously, someone either
a) really loved this car, and was fanatical about preserving it, or
b) really hated this car, and parked it in a garage and never drove it.
Either way, it is truly an oddball worth saving, in my opinion.
Cheers,
Ron in Indy
 
#25 ·
They even figured out how to make a small chrome bumper
car that could pass the crash test standards of the time.
No they didn't. The car was sold in Germany, and imported into the US after it was 25 years old.

I was looking at the metric speedo...that car is an Opel by Isuzu???
http://www.opelgt.com/forums/kadett/20034-lonely-kadett-c-coupe-lonely-forum.html
http://www.opelgt.com/forums/general-discussions/22321-fs-kadett-c-baltimore-md.html
http://www.opelgt.com/forums/introductions/19775-greetings-kadett-c-land.html
http://www.opelgt.com/forums/general-discussions/99506-kadett-c-sale.html

Dieter
 
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#24 ·
This is an Opel Kadett C, by Opel. It doesn’t have the Isuzu engine and such. Looks like a euro model since it has small bumpers and kmh
 
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