Street Sighting ~ Holden Piazza

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Did you know in the '80s Holden made a two-door, turbocharged hatch with (kinda) pop-up headlights? Yep, well, sort of. These cars are actually made by Isuzu but were badged as Holdens over here.

http://www.cornerstories.auhttp://www.cornerstories.au
 
Side note: It was way cooler when cars had decals bragging about turbos and intercoolers. I really vibe with the original alloys as well...
 
http://www.cornerstories.au
http://cornerstories.au

Okay, formalities done, time for turbo-autism analysis. The big question I had looking at this car is "who drives it?". I see two options, both are based on the number plate. The Koala plates only came out around mid '23, and I am yet to see a KLD one, so this got put on pretty recently. So, the options:

1: The car was bought interstate, and upon needing new plates the owner chose to get the koala plates. In this case the owner is likely an enthusiast since they bought the car interstate.

2: The car is an SA car, and the elderly owner, a koala-lover, decided to show their support for the relevant charity and go with the koala plates.

At this stage I am leaning to #2, not only does the car scream granny-spec (0 mods, jank drivers side mirror repair, bunch of junk on the back seat), but it was also parked in front of Aldi getting groceries, and although I do that in my car too, it probably isn't the norm.

http://www.cornerstories.au
 
Finally, after a bit of a deep dive (assisted by Ziggy) on the Piazza, we get to this... 
 
The Isuzu Piazza Nero Irmscher Coupe. For sale HERE
 
This is the Japanese-Market-Exclusive edition of the Piazza with tuning by the German house Irmscher. The most desirable trim model was tuned by none other than Lotus, with numerous handling upgrades. Who even knows how rare these models are, the Irmscher spec car pictured above is currently on ebay for $20,000 AUD... Probably my favourite part about the story behind the Piazza is it was designed by Italian legend Giorgetto Giugiaro, the mind behind the Lotus Esprit, BMW M1, DMC DeLorean, De Tomaso Mangusta, and more. I like that of all things a rebadged Isuzu (now a Holden) shares the DNA (and certainly the general aesthetic) of truly legendary cars such as these.
 
Now, music for this Piazza. I've been stewing over this and it's hard because not only can I not picture someone driving this car, I can't even picture myself driving it. I've settled on Electric Blue - ICEHOUSE, since it seems about as much of a fusion as this car.

http://www.cornerstories.au
 
Bonus: A few words about the 850 lurking in the background. 
 
Yep, it's the absolute base model 2.5L non-turbo with the slushbox auto. Pretty well the least desirable spec 850 you can find (although some would place the sedan equivalent in that spot). But hey, it's still here, getting groceries at Aldi. Plus it made me happy when I saw it, and there is definitely something to be said for that.
 
http://www.cornerstories.au
http://www.cornerstories.au

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