Shared by @grunty_diecast (Instagram)
This is the '99 Isuzu VehiCross.
Designed by Simon Cox, Joji Tanaka, Andrew Hill and Nick Robinson in a team led by Shiro "Fingers" Nakamura and Satomi Murayama, the VehiCross was a compact SUV produced from 1997 to 2001, featuring "aggressive external styling, including short overhangs, an aggressive forward stance, titanium 'teeth' in the grill, a black hood insert and black plastic cladding over the entire lower half of the vehicle". The car shared many components with the Isuzu Trooper, most notably its engines, which are the 3.2L 6VD1 and the 3.5L 6VE1 V6s. The car also featured the Torque On Demand system designed by BorgWarner, and combined a computer-controlled AWD system with a low-gear 4WD system for on-road and off-road driving, with 12 independent sensors used to detect wheelspin. Sales were intentionally limited, with only 5,958 produced, most of which (4,153) going to the United States; sales in Japan were limited by the fact that the exterior width dimensions failed to comply with Japanese dimension regulations and the higher engine capacity obligated drivers to higher amounts of road tax.
Now, about the casting. This casting was designed by Michael Kollins whom I don't know much about apart from him designing most of the Ferraris for Hot Wheels in the '90s. The model is boxy and features plastic cladding like the real car, along with headlamp inserts; how this thing is assembled is quite interesting (base keys into cladding which keys into body). Despite being metal-metal, it really isn't that heavy. To those that read this: would you like to see this car back in the lineup? (even though truthfully I really don't see it returning mainly due to the plastic cladding)
