Giorgetto Giugiaro designed the FF Gemini, but GM altered his work without consulting him — so insulted, Giugiaro publicly denied it was his design for a full decade after the car was discontinued.
Lead trim: 1.3 4XB1 export (72 PS) · up to 133 hp
Isuzu Gemini FF JT150JT150 · 1985–1990
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Isuzu Gemini FF JT150 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactGiorgetto Giugiaro designed the FF Gemini, but GM altered his work without consulting him — so insulted, Giugiaro publicly denied it was his design for a full decade after the car was discontinued.
GM's single-location world car on the front-wheel-drive R-body, styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro on the lines of the Piazza (until GM ordered detail changes without consulting him, ending Isuzu's long relationship with the designer). Introduced as the Gemini FF in May 1985 after it had gone on sale as the Chevrolet Spectrum in the US, with all-new engines: a carburetted 1.5 SOHC (JT150), a new 1.5 diesel (JT600) that November, a 120 PS fuel-injected turbo "Irmscher" from May 1986, the NAVi5 automated manual from 1986, and a 1.6 DOHC with 135 PS in February 1988. A February 1987 facelift added wraparound headlights and dropped the "FF". It was sold as the Isuzu I-Mark, Chevrolet/Geo Spectrum, Pontiac Sunburst and Holden Gemini, with 748,216 built under all names. Its Japanese tagline was "Shortstop of the streets".
Collectors Spotted in the Isuzu Gemini Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Isuzu Gemini yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
5 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.3 4XB1 export (72 PS) | 1985–1990 | 1.3 L Inline-4 | 71 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.5 4EC1 diesel export (52 PS) | 1985–1990 | 1.5 L Inline-4 | 51 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.5 4XC1 SOHC export (76 PS) | 1985–1990 | 1.5 L Inline-4 | 75 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.5 4XC1-T turbo Irmscher (120 PS) | 1986–1990 | 1.5 L Inline-4 | 118 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.6 4XE1 DOHC (135 PS) | 1988–1990 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 133 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Isuzu's last Gemini was a Honda Domani wearing a different badge — the exact same car Honda itself was selling across Europe at the time, just called a Civic.
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Giorgetto Giugiaro designed the FF Gemini, but GM altered his work without consulting him — so insulted, Giugiaro publicly denied it was his design for a full decade after the car was discontinued.
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Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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