Japan · First-production hand-built series · Japanese launch December 1968

Isuzu 117 Coupé PA90

A Giugiaro show-car shape made real by careful hand production—and launched two years after its famous concept appeared.

Design icons

Front three-quarter exterior with hood raised · Photo shows Exact 1969 early handmade PA90 production car from Japan.. One model year newer than the featured December 1968 launch car; the 1966 vehicle was a prototype, not the production version.
1969 Isuzu 117 Coupé PA90 · 先従隗始 · CC0 1.0

Auction-based estimated value

Research pending

A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.

Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.

A place in vehicle history

More than a set of wheels.

Giorgetto Giugiaro designed the 117 Coupé while working with Carrozzeria Ghia, and the shape first appeared as a concept in 1966. The production PA90 was not a 1966 road car: Isuzu unveiled the finished model at the 1968 Tokyo Motor Show and launched it across Japan that December. Early cars were assembled largely by hand to preserve the elegant fastback form.

Look a little closer.

Isuzu says the early 117 Coupés were built by hand because ordinary mass-production methods could not yet preserve the show car's delicate curves.

Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.

Correcting the 1966/1968 mix-up

The design story began with a 1966 concept, but Isuzu's own museum record dates the production launch to December 1968. Joyride therefore profiles the 1968 PA90 and keeps 1966 as concept history only.

Source: Isuzu Plaza · 117 Coupé exhibition ↗

A fastback built carefully

The production car used the Florian as its mechanical base, but Giugiaro's low fastback body made it feel like a special touring car. Early custom-order cars were hand-built rather than rushed through a high-volume line.

Source: Toyota Automobile Museum · Isuzu 117 Coupé PA90 ↗

Where these facts come from

Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 29, 2026.

Choose your next turn

Keep exploring.

Follow a familiar badge or home, stay in the same era, or leap across automotive history.

Same maker1962 Isuzu Bellel DieselAnother Isuzu

Isuzu put an economical diesel engine into a six-seat family sedan when diesel passenger cars were still rare in Japan.

Take this turn Same era1968 Autobianchi Primula 65 CAlso from the 1960s

The Primula helped establish the modern small-car recipe: engine across the nose, gearbox beside it, front-wheel drive and a practical rear hatch. The 65 C was the later 1968 update.

Take this turn Big time jump1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen No. 182 years apart

Three wheels, one cylinder, and a purpose-built machine that helped start the age of the motor car.

Take this turn