Isuzu Fargo
Encyclopedia
The Isuzu Fargo is a commercial vehicle
manufactured between 1980 and 2001 by Isuzu
in Japan
. The Fargo spanned two generations, the first of which was sold between 1980 and 1995 as both van and utility body styles, with the second generation, introduced in 1995 confined to a single van body style. This second generation was a badge engineered
version of the Nissan Caravan
E24, as opposed to an Isuzu design.
Between 1982 and 1990 the first generation Fargo was marketed in Australia by Holden
, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors
as the Holden Shuttle. In Europe and New Zealand, the first series Isuzu Fargo was sold under the Isuzu WFR name. It was also built in the United Kingdom by Vauxhall Motors
and sold as the Bedford Midi, then the Vauxhall Midi. Export versions of the Midi in Europe were badged Bedford Seta, General Motors Midi, GME Midi, and Isuzu Midi.
s, and a 1.8 litre diesel engine
.
Designed very much in the mould of contemporary Japanese vehicles of the time, it featured an underfloor engine.
-owned Vauxhall Motors
offered a version of the Fargo as the "Bedford Midi" between 1985 and 1994. Following the sale of the Bedford Vehicles
to AWD, the Bedford Midi was re-badged as the "Vauxhall Midi". Versions sold in continental Europe
and Ireland
were sold under various names, including "Bedford Seta", "General Motors Midi", "GME Midi", and "Isuzu Midi". Between 1983 and 1988, Industries Mécaniques Maghrébines
(IMM) produced the Isuzu Midi at its Kairouan
, Tunisia
manufacturing facility.
Built in Luton
, the Midi brought few changes to the Japanese Fargo and replaced the old Bedford CF
van. This was very much a stop-gap design to replace the old CF range, however a true CF replacement never came. The van also signified the end of Bedford and its own designs as it was cheaper for GM to use other companies designs it co-owned. There were talks with Freight Rover
during 1985 to produce the Sherpa 300 series van under licence which came to nothing by late 1986. There were also concerns over its crashworthiness in this same issue, following a test on the Japanese built WFR. Engines offered were both petrol (1.8 litre and 2.0 litre) and diesel (2.0, 2.2 or 2.4 turbo). The Midi could be ordered with either an old fashioned column mounted gear change allowing a third central passenger seat in the front, or with a conventional floor shift and was available in short and long wheelbase with a choice of standard or high roof lines. A mini-bus version, named the "Albany", was also produced.
The Midi was also restyled in 1989 and given a new dashboard panel and seating, together with new door trims and front-end fascia. The engine range remained much. While production ceased in 1994, both models were replaced by the Vauxhall Arena, a rebadged Renault Trafic
in 1997.
' (GM) Australian subsidiary, Holden
released the Isuzu Fargo van in February 1982 as the WFR series Holden Shuttle. The original release Shuttle was available in short- and long-wheelbase
guises, in combination with either low- or high-roofs; all of which available with or without side cargo windows. Two engines were initially offered: a 1.8 litre 4ZB1 petrol rated at 65 kW, and a 2.0 litre 4FC1 diesel outputting 44 kW. In 1986, the 1.8 petrol was withdraw and replaced by the 2.0 litre 4ZC1 petrol producing 69 kW. All three engines were coupled with a four-speed manual transmission
.
The single, cargo-carrying model was accompanied by the limited edition
LS—a highly specified nine-seater people-mover variant in October 1982. Only 250 were built for Australian consumption, however, in August 1983, the LT nine-seater people mover was introduced. The lower specification LT was not equipped with the many of the LS Shuttle’s luxury features, including the dual-zone air conditioning. An AM
/FM
radio with Compact Cassette
player and a digital clock were standard on the LT, with single-zone air conditioning available as an option. Both the LS and LT were powered exclusively by the petrol engine.
The Shuttle was subject to several minor facelifts and running changes over its production run. In mid-1983, a centre front seat was added. This consisted of two outer bucket seat
s and a centre bench seat
, giving the impression of a single bench. June 1985 saw the model range restructured, with the five-speed manual transmission from the LS and LT models now standard on the base model. A facelifted model came in June 1986, involving the relocation of badging, re-shaped headlamps, and newly designed steel wheels for the base Shuttle. This refresh coincided with a reduced line-up; Holden deleted the diesel and long-wheelbase options. From December 1987, a four-speed automatic transmission
option was made available, and the LT people-mover variant was removed—transforming the Shuttle into a single-model range. Holden discontinued the Shuttle in 1990, and opted not to replace it with another vehicle either developed by itself, or sourced from within the GM empire. The Shuttle's immediate predecessor were the Bedford CF
-series vans sourced from the United Kingdom
. These Bedford vans were not however, distributed under the "Holden" brand.
Commercial vehicle
A commercial vehicle is a type of motor vehicle that may be used for transporting goods or passengers. The European Union defines "commercial motor vehicle" as any motorised road vehicle, which by its type of construction and equipment is designed for, and capable of transporting, whether for...
manufactured between 1980 and 2001 by Isuzu
Isuzu
, is a Japanese car, commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. In 2005, Isuzu became the world's largest manufacturer of medium to heavy duty trucks. It has assembly and manufacturing plants in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, as well as in the prefectures...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The Fargo spanned two generations, the first of which was sold between 1980 and 1995 as both van and utility body styles, with the second generation, introduced in 1995 confined to a single van body style. This second generation was a badge engineered
Badge engineering
Badge engineering is an ironic term that describes the rebadging of one product as another...
version of the Nissan Caravan
Nissan Caravan
The Nissan Caravan is a van designed by Nissan for use as a fleet vehicle or cargo van. Outside Japan the car was sold as either Nissan Urvan, King Van, or Homy...
E24, as opposed to an Isuzu design.
Between 1982 and 1990 the first generation Fargo was marketed in Australia by Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
as the Holden Shuttle. In Europe and New Zealand, the first series Isuzu Fargo was sold under the Isuzu WFR name. It was also built in the United Kingdom by Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
and sold as the Bedford Midi, then the Vauxhall Midi. Export versions of the Midi in Europe were badged Bedford Seta, General Motors Midi, GME Midi, and Isuzu Midi.
First generation (1980–1995)
The first generation Isuzu Fargo was introduced in December 1980 with a 1.6 and 1.8 litre petrol enginePetrol engine
A petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol and similar volatile fuels....
s, and a 1.8 litre diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
.
Designed very much in the mould of contemporary Japanese vehicles of the time, it featured an underfloor engine.
Japanese market timeline
- August 1981: 2.0 litre diesel van introduced.
- March 1982: 1.8 litre gasoline and 2.0 litre diesel engines introduced.
- July 1982: Introduction of luxury-oriented nine-seater LS van, featuring a standard sunroof among other features.
- November 1983: Part-time diesel four-wheel drive model introduced.
- January 1984: Turbo diesel engines made standard across wagon range
- November 1984: Four-wheel driveFour-wheel driveFour-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
van added. - January 1986: Changes to instrument panelDashboardA dashboard is a control panel placed in front of the driver of an automobile, housing instrumentation and controls for operation of the vehicle....
. - January 1987: Automatic transmissionAutomatic transmissionAn automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
available on rear-wheel drive variants. - September 1987:
- October 1988: Cab forward pickup (truck) body style added.
- January 1991: 2.4 litre 4FG1 diesel engine introduced, replacing 1.8 and 2.0 litre units. Design changes made to both the interior and exterior.
- August 1993: 2.4 litre 4FG1-T turbodieselTurbodieselTurbodiesel refers to any diesel engine with a turbocharger. Turbocharging is the norm rather than the exception in modern car and truck diesel engines...
standardised across the range. Three-point rear seatbelts now fitted to models fitted with rear seats and the air conditioningAir conditioningAn air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
unit is now chlorofluorocarbonHaloalkaneThe haloalkanes are a group of chemical compounds derived from alkanes containing one or more halogens. They are a subset of the general class of halocarbons, although the distinction is not often made. Haloalkanes are widely used commercially and, consequently, are known under many chemical and...
-free (CFC).
Bedford Midi / Vauxhall Midi
The General MotorsGeneral Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
-owned Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
offered a version of the Fargo as the "Bedford Midi" between 1985 and 1994. Following the sale of the Bedford Vehicles
Bedford Vehicles
Bedford Vehicles, usually shortened to just Bedford, was a subsidiary of Vauxhall Motors, itself the British subsidiary of General Motors , established in 1930; and constructing commercial vehicles. Bedford Vehicles was a leading international truck manufacturer, with substantial export sales of...
to AWD, the Bedford Midi was re-badged as the "Vauxhall Midi". Versions sold in continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
were sold under various names, including "Bedford Seta", "General Motors Midi", "GME Midi", and "Isuzu Midi". Between 1983 and 1988, Industries Mécaniques Maghrébines
Industries Mécaniques Maghrébines
The Industries Mécaniques Maghrébines S.A. is a Tunisian car manufacturer which is headquartered in the city Kairouan. The company was founded in 1982 and were closed in 1988 for its first time. In 1991, the plant were reopened...
(IMM) produced the Isuzu Midi at its Kairouan
Kairouan
Kairouan , also known as Kirwan or al-Qayrawan , is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia. Referred to as the Islamic Cultural Capital, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city was founded by the Arabs around 670...
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
manufacturing facility.
Built in Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, the Midi brought few changes to the Japanese Fargo and replaced the old Bedford CF
Bedford CF
The Bedford CF was a model of light commercial vehicle produced by Bedford Vehicles for almost twenty years from the late 1960s.In Germany and certain other continental markets, the CF was sold through Opel dealers as the Opel Bedford Blitz from 1973 on....
van. This was very much a stop-gap design to replace the old CF range, however a true CF replacement never came. The van also signified the end of Bedford and its own designs as it was cheaper for GM to use other companies designs it co-owned. There were talks with Freight Rover
Freight Rover
Freight Rover was a British commercial vehicle manufacturer based in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom.-History:The company was created as a division of the Land Rover Group of British Leyland in 1981, creating a new single brand for BL's panel van business.Under later company organisation...
during 1985 to produce the Sherpa 300 series van under licence which came to nothing by late 1986. There were also concerns over its crashworthiness in this same issue, following a test on the Japanese built WFR. Engines offered were both petrol (1.8 litre and 2.0 litre) and diesel (2.0, 2.2 or 2.4 turbo). The Midi could be ordered with either an old fashioned column mounted gear change allowing a third central passenger seat in the front, or with a conventional floor shift and was available in short and long wheelbase with a choice of standard or high roof lines. A mini-bus version, named the "Albany", was also produced.
The Midi was also restyled in 1989 and given a new dashboard panel and seating, together with new door trims and front-end fascia. The engine range remained much. While production ceased in 1994, both models were replaced by the Vauxhall Arena, a rebadged Renault Trafic
Renault Trafic
The current Trafic resulted from a joint venture between German Opel, Japanese Nissan and French Renault. It is also sold as an Opel Vivaro, Vauxhall Vivaro and by Nissan as the Primastar....
in 1997.
Holden Shuttle
General MotorsGeneral Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
' (GM) Australian subsidiary, Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
released the Isuzu Fargo van in February 1982 as the WFR series Holden Shuttle. The original release Shuttle was available in short- and long-wheelbase
Wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
guises, in combination with either low- or high-roofs; all of which available with or without side cargo windows. Two engines were initially offered: a 1.8 litre 4ZB1 petrol rated at 65 kW, and a 2.0 litre 4FC1 diesel outputting 44 kW. In 1986, the 1.8 petrol was withdraw and replaced by the 2.0 litre 4ZC1 petrol producing 69 kW. All three engines were coupled with a four-speed manual transmission
Manual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
.
The single, cargo-carrying model was accompanied by the limited edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
LS—a highly specified nine-seater people-mover variant in October 1982. Only 250 were built for Australian consumption, however, in August 1983, the LT nine-seater people mover was introduced. The lower specification LT was not equipped with the many of the LS Shuttle’s luxury features, including the dual-zone air conditioning. An AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
/FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
radio with Compact Cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
player and a digital clock were standard on the LT, with single-zone air conditioning available as an option. Both the LS and LT were powered exclusively by the petrol engine.
The Shuttle was subject to several minor facelifts and running changes over its production run. In mid-1983, a centre front seat was added. This consisted of two outer bucket seat
Bucket seat
A bucket seat is a seat contoured to hold one person, distinct from bench seats which are flat platforms designed to seat multiple people. Bucket seats are standard in fast cars to keep riders in place when making sharp or quick turns...
s and a centre bench seat
Bench seat
The bench seat was the traditional seat installed in American automobiles. This seat featured a continuous pad running the full width of the cabin...
, giving the impression of a single bench. June 1985 saw the model range restructured, with the five-speed manual transmission from the LS and LT models now standard on the base model. A facelifted model came in June 1986, involving the relocation of badging, re-shaped headlamps, and newly designed steel wheels for the base Shuttle. This refresh coincided with a reduced line-up; Holden deleted the diesel and long-wheelbase options. From December 1987, a four-speed automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
option was made available, and the LT people-mover variant was removed—transforming the Shuttle into a single-model range. Holden discontinued the Shuttle in 1990, and opted not to replace it with another vehicle either developed by itself, or sourced from within the GM empire. The Shuttle's immediate predecessor were the Bedford CF
Bedford CF
The Bedford CF was a model of light commercial vehicle produced by Bedford Vehicles for almost twenty years from the late 1960s.In Germany and certain other continental markets, the CF was sold through Opel dealers as the Opel Bedford Blitz from 1973 on....
-series vans sourced from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. These Bedford vans were not however, distributed under the "Holden" brand.
Second generation (1995–2001)
- August 1995: All-new model, now a badge engineeredBadge engineeringBadge engineering is an ironic term that describes the rebadging of one product as another...
Nissan CaravanNissan CaravanThe Nissan Caravan is a van designed by Nissan for use as a fleet vehicle or cargo van. Outside Japan the car was sold as either Nissan Urvan, King Van, or Homy...
E24 van. - July 1997:
- June 1999: Modified gasoline engine.
- May 2001: