By EWAN KENNEDY
7 February 1997

Holden Piazza is a bit of an odd fish. Built in Japan by Isuzu, but retailed by the huge Holden network, it looks good, has tremendous performance, but has been let down badly by poor suspension.

The result was a car that started in the market with a bang, but finished with a real fizz. Potential buyers were put off by magazine reports and, despite price cutting, sales were so slow that Holden was glad to finally get rid of the Piazza. Imports began in April 1986 and finished in November 1987. The last examples didn’t leave the showrooms until well into 1988 and some sellers may try to class these as 1988 models, rather than 1987. Technically, though, they are ‘87s.

Piazza, like quite a few cars which were regarded as duds in their day, may actually turn out to be a collectors item. Probably not in a big way with huge profits, but in my opinion there is a real chance of making some cash, or at least breaking even, if you are willing to hold on to one of these sporty Holdens for several years.

The attractive looking coupe had its body lines penned in Italy and they have stood the test of time extremely well. It was well built in Isuzu’s Japanese factory and has no inherent reliability problems, though there could be troubles caused by bad driving; these are covered later in our report.

Piazza’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine gives tremendous acceleration which makes it great fun to drive. However, the performance may have caused it to be thrashed. That can cause premature (expensive) wear not only of the engine, but also of the complete driveline.

Performance may also tempt an inexperienced driver into reached speeds higher than they realise. Insurance premiums can be high - very high in the case of a new driver.

Transmission is by either five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. The latter takes some edge off the performance, but there is plenty of poke left.

Suspension is the main bugbear of the Piazza. Driven moderately the car is competent enough in a non-sporty fashion. Driven hard it understeers too much and will frustrate the enthusiast.

Braking is poor under hard conditions. I still have memories of watching in amazement as the back wheels of a Piazza completely left the ground when another road tester hit the brakes at a race circuit.

Changes were made to the car once these criticisms found their way back to head office, but the resulting improvements were marginal. Poor handling may not worry the driver who always potters along. Braking is another story as anyone may have to use them hard at some time.

Interior room in Piazza is fine in the front and less cramped in the rear than in many coupes. The back seat is spacious for children, though a fair bit of sun gets in through the big windows, making it uncomfortable in summer. Climate-control air conditioning is standard and works reasonably quickly.

Other standard features on this well equipped car are alloy wheels, power mirrors, electric windows and a quality stereo system.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Make sure the engine starts quickly even when cold and idles smoothly with no rattles within a second or two of start-up. As well as listening to the engine, also keep an ear out for noises from the turbocharger.

When test driving the car make sure there is no hesitation from the engine. Turbo lag is fairly substantial - about one to two seconds - after that there should be strong acceleration to the redline. A slight whining sound from the turbo is normal, any more could mean problems.

The manual gearbox should have a light and slick movement. If not, or if the gearbox crunches on fast downchanges, there could be problems.

Automatic transmissions should shift promptly when the lever is moved into Drive and Reverse from Park or Neutral. Automatic changes should be soft and smooth under moderate acceleration. Changes will become slightly harsher under hard acceleration, but if you consider them too harsh be suspicious.

Check for crash repairs by sighting along the length of the panels in good light. Ripples or unevenness are a sign the panels have been reshaped. Also look for tiny paint spots on glass, badges, rubber seals and other unpainted areas.

Look for signs of uneven, or chunky, wear on the front tyres. This could indicate either previous crash damage, or that the driver has engaged in burnouts.

It is wise to have an expert do an inspection after your initial tests.

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