Isuzu Statesman De Ville

The Isuzu Statesman De Ville was a luxury car that Isuzu imported and sold in Japan from 1973 to 1975. It was the Australian Holden Statesman fitted with minimal changes for Japanese rules, such as fender-mounted mirrors in place of door mirrors, and sold through Isuzu dealers under the Isuzu name. After Isuzu tied up with General Motors in 1971 the company wanted to enter the luxury market, which Japanese makers had served only with the Toyota Century and Nissan President, but it lacked the means to develop such a car itself. It cost 3.48 million yen and used Jack Nicklaus as its image figure. The oil shock, higher petrol prices and tighter emission rules cut sales short, and only 246 cars were sold. The Mazda Roadpacer was a sister car.