Words by Paul Kramer @autokennel

Photos by Lane Skelton, Matt Brown and the author

Ten years ago I started wondering where all the mundane cars I liked growing up went. It’s like one day the switch was thrown between seeing these cars on local roads and then poof, they were gone. Overnight they became a dusty memory.

I made a mental list of all the cars I wanted in my youth. It’s not like I had a goal to go find these cars and buy them. I just wanted to be more aware and see if there were any left. I quickly realized that there was not much current info available. All I could find were fuzzy 80’s video reviews by John Davis from MotorWeek. Cars like the Mercury Merkur XR4Ti, Isuzu Impulse RS, and Chrysler Conquest TSi were virtually unsearchable. Sure, every once in a while I would find a neglected turd on a Craigslist search but never something decent.

Then, along came RADwood. This car show celebrated the two most important decades of my automotive life: The 80’s and 90’s. These shows have helped bring attention to many forgotten cars. I’m not saying anyone is hurrying up to do a frame off restoration on a Dodge Shelby Omni GLHS. However, I think there is more enthusiasm to find a survivor and make it a good driver.

I’ve been passively looking for an Isuzu Impulse for about 5-years. Yes, the ’87 Turbo RS (only 1 of only 1,800 built) would be my first choice, but a simple clean example that wasn’t pulled out of a tornado-scorched ditch would’ve been just fine. I also didn’t want to spend 5+ figures for a low mile bubble car that I would be afraid to drive. In January, I happened to catch the last day of a Bring a Trailer auction for a clean ’87 Isuzu Impulse RS Turbo. I had 6 hours to do all of my due diligence. Needless to say, I didn’t have time to do a pre-purchase inspection or much of anything except some light online archeology. I didn’t even bother contacting a friend to have them walk me back from the ledge. The car looked decent with no red flags. So, I bid away not expecting to not win. I won the car by that afternoon. I was sitting at the kennel at the time and I looked over at my dad and said, “I just bought an Isuzu Impulse.” He just looked at me with an incredulous stare. I think he thought I was joking.

I texted the DWA guys the news and Bryan had the best quote: “Impulse buy!”

I booked my flight to get the car in San Jose the same weekend as Morning Motors in Santa Cruz. The seller picked me up from the airport and we drove to a strip mall parking lot not too far from his house. We did the paperwork on the trunk parcel shelf as the glass hatch would occasionally clunk us in the head due to tired original struts. Once the transfer was done, the seller removed his kid’s car seat, his son gave me a fist bump, and they walked home. For the next 45 minutes, I was buzzing like I just had a double espresso. I tried to control my excitement as I looked over the car more closely. I quickly realized it was in way better condition than I expected. The strange fuzzy tweed interior had no stains and the seats weren’t blown out. In a half daze, I attached my dealer license plate with zip ties and headed over to Santa Cruz to get ready for the next day’s event.

The drive took about an hour. I started playing with the non-intuitive controls. When I got to highway 17, I had to focus a bit more. This curving mountain freeway had SUVs apexing turns while using both lanes. I hammered down to see what this Japanese happy meal could do. The noise that came from under the hood sounded more like a Dyson vacuum while the exhaust note was basically non-existent. However, I was surprised at the power from this 2.0L turbo charged and intercooled hamster. It has a nice mid-range squirt of acceleration, which easily allowed me to pass others on the incline. The shifting was relatively precise (similar to my Integra) and the handling felt decent but certainly not Lotus inspired. I immediately wondered if tires with more grip than the fresh Uniroyal Tiger Paws that were currently shod on the Giugiaro designed 14” wheels were available.

The next morning, I was up early with excitement and anticipation. The night before, I actually read the owner’s manual. Now I wanted to start playing with my new toy. I explored all the functions and found that the driver window was one-touch down (pretty nifty for 1987). The very driver-centric side pods on the gauge binnacle were filled with tiny buttons that controlled all of the vehicle functions. They could be rotated in and out like elephant ears. Also, the seat side bolsters could tighten or loosen for better kidney hugging. While playing with my new chew toy, the hotel manager came down and started eyeing the car. She had a 60’s Camaro, but was intrigued by the whole 80’s car culture. I sent her a link to RADwood and scooted out for Morning Motors.

I was the first one there at 8am. So, I decided to cruise up Highway 1 to Davenport. Going the other way, I saw a red 964 Turbo S2, Acura NSX, Alfa Romeo GTV, and various other interesting rides blur past. I pulled over, snapped a gratuitous dawn patrol photo, and headed back to the gathering. The DWA guys saved me a spot for the perfect combo of Japanese/pop up headlights car row. It was fun to see old friends and meet some new ones who enjoyed seeing the Impulse. After too much coffee and a snack down the street, I was anxious to hit the road and start driving.

The 400-mile journey back to SoCal was surprisingly uneventful. I took the 101 all the way down to L.A. without a hitch. The car didn’t even loose a drop of oil. Several times when I stopped for gas, a toothless local would come up to me and tell me their Impulse story back when they were sober. Many times I would see familiar backroads that I was SUPER tempted to take, but I stuck with my plan of not pushing it and just making it back safely. The Impulse worked flawlessly. It averaged 29mpg, I used cruise control set at 75mph most of the way. I played with all the buttons. Everything worked. The A/C blew ice cold. The heat warmed my toes. And, occasionally, I would hit the wrong button and the rear wiper would wave at me in the rear view mirror. Even the overhead “dope” light worked.

The OEM stereo cassette player sounded pretty good with no blown speakers. The lights on the equalizer were mesmerizing as I shuffled through a collection of cassette tapes I brought with me. Yes, these were the actual tapes from when I was in High School and were a fixture in my first new car: 1987 Acura Integra. The voices of Bono, Phil Collins, Robert Plant, and John Wetton filled the cabin and transported me back 33-years. I was embracing this illusion until the bark of my V1 radar detector snapped me back to reality. A CHP zipped past me and nabbed the guy who had just cut me off. Obviously, cops love Impulses. I was half expecting a police escort through Santa Barbara.

Of course, the 80’s wasn’t really prepared for all the electrical device needs we have today. However, the Impulse did come strangely equipped with a cigarette lighter on each door panel. The labyrinth of wires for my phone and the radar detector provided a cannonball cockpit vibe. And, when I opened the door too quickly, it would jettison whichever device was attached to that door.

I have no idea how long I’ll have this car or what I’ll do with it. But for now, I’m just basking in the nostalgia high.