RISKY AFTERNOON DRIVING

Isuzu Pup at Waukesha Cars & Coffee (2022) - Meet 5 in Waukesha, WI.

1990 isuzu 4X4  p’up, sporting the optical illusion paint. Donaldson AR

“Ribfest is cancelled,” barked the shirtless weirdo that had climbed aboard the community events cruiser and was now attempting to alter our previously agreed-upon timeline for said community events. I was about to question his authority to make such a move, but as events would soon prove, fate would intervene.

“This kind of thing happens a lot,” says Sue, my internship supervisor, in a much calmer way than I ever could have seen myself doing while trapped inside an industrial-conversion 1986 Econoline with a crazy on the hood frantically attempting to break the windshield with his bare hands. Maybe that was part of what I would learn. “Ribfest is very political in this town,” she added while racking a hand-load of rock salt into the station-issued corporate twelve gauge.

“For years you have been asking yourself, who is John Ribfest?” the man shrieked while holding on to the windshield wiper arms to stay on the hood. “This is John Ribfest speaking now.” I felt that as journalists, we were obliged to take him at his word and establish a counter source for balance so as to avoid accusations of bias.

“Don’t listen to him,” said Sue, “Last week he tried to ram the middle-school Model U.N. with an Isuzu Pup while shrieking about how ants were telling him to hoard honey for them in anticipation of the End Times.”

Barley, the other intern in my class and who, by virtue of his record-low DUI count and intact drivers’ license, was appointed the operator of the boxy Ford, took this as some kind of code to begin weaving frantically as we drove down Main Street. Whether it was an attempt to dislodge the madman or simply to unsettle him until Sue had a chance to brace herself for the recoil from the Remington between the dashboard and bench seat was a matter for the police.

I barely had a chance to cover one ear and shut my eyes tight before the windshield exploded outward into a spider-webbed mess of industrial-grade “safety” plastic and glass. That shot had left me so dazed I was unable to process Sue’s speed-of-light offhand chambering of another cartridge and followup shot, this one finally providing enough force to knock the Ribfest hater onto the street in front of the van, where a screaming Barley immediately ran him over and then swerved into a curb. As he settled the weave and learned to compensate for the tie rod and wheel he just bent, the power steering pump, presumably feeling neglected, began screaming on its own as well.

“Hell of a first day, huh?” said Sue, brushing cubes of atomized windshield glass out of her hair. “You should have seen what it was like last week, at Lobsterfest. I had to kill the mayor.”

Lowered Isuzu pup [ https://i.redd.it/2v5a9msjal981.jpg ]

1982 Isuzu Pup 4x4

1982 Isuzu pup pickup transported from Sherwood, AR to Boynton beach, FL (at Sherwood, Arkansas)

Love the blog, by far the best one on Tumblr! I have a unique request, any lowered Isuzus? I just put a V8 in a 93 pup and would love some more inspiration!

thanks dude!! yup Isuzu’s are my secret lovers haha

Isuzu pup, VW bug, the FJ40, 454SS, and Escalalde. Each one is a chapter in my life loaded with amazing memories. Wish I still had them all! 😢😍 (at Northumberland, New York)

The Isuzu P’up got rear ended while dodging a deer by a very large 21st century SUV. Smushed and cracked frame. So long ol’ buddy!  VA

There was only one thing I could do. Indeed, as I dove into my work, it became more and more apparent that this was the only thing I should do. I was meant for this work. Some strange power above us pointed down and demanded that my life’s work be to bring back mid-1990s mini-trucking.

Thing is, the management at Isuzu didn’t quite see the revival of the Pup as a priority for the same reasons that I did. I think there was probably a bit of a communications gap: they spoke refined, polite English and the words coming out of my mouth were raw, animal sounds, more like the screech of a power hammer clearancing a frame than anything resembling human language.

My persistence paid off, however, and I soon found myself front and centre on an auto show stage, inviting automotive journalists to witness the resurgent power of mini-trucking. Our foes will be dispatched to the land of wind and ghosts, I barked as I clicked through slide after slide of our competition’s total lack of product in this category.

It was only when I brought out our new product stylist that things began to go off the rails. With a barely-there hand signal, I flagged my subordinates to begin wheeling in a masked Chris Bangle, strapped upright to a moving dolly.

“I am so confident in the revival of the Pup that not even arguably the worst automotive stylist in human history can stop me,” I gloated to the crowd.

The next morning, I could barely fight through the hangover to listen to my assistant’s words of woe. Chrysler had caught on to what I was doing, he explained, and they hired Bryan Nesbitt to style a new Dakota.

Mini truck love

Ya like Pups, here's a 1985 Isuzu lil pup diesel.