4/5/20 100/100 1995 Isuzu Rodeo (Opel/Vauxhall/Holden Frontera)

The last vehicle for the 1-100 is the Isuzu Rodeo that was released in 1995 and was Matchbox second and likely last Isuzu truck in the lineup.  Whereas the Amigo 2-door SUV was a larger casting with an open back top this Rodeo was a smaller 4-door SUV with lots of rugged gear for extreme camping or adventures, so much to the point that it gets in the way of the vehicle details especially the headlights and grille up front.  The front has a brush guard, the rear a spare tire and trailer hitch for towing, and on the roof is luggage and an additional 8-spoke treaded tire to join the four others (after 2000 the wheels changed to the new-style wheels for 2001).  The interior has seating for five with a right-hand drive layout, while the base shows off the drivetrain details and one interesting observation: the name of the vehicle is not tooled into the base as this casting has multiple names in different countries; in the U.S. has Isuzu Rodeo, in the U.K the Vauxhall Frontera, in Europe the Opel Frontera, and in Australia the Holden Frontera.  More names could’ve been used, but Matchbox just used the most common of these four instead.  The roadside rescue is a nice touch from the wild graphics (ROW lines got cleaner Frontera models) and it has a working suspension that would disappear with the arrival of the new flower pedal wheels for 2001, and if you found the Matchbox 2000 logo it would be likely on the spare tire cover in the back.

Specifications:

· Engine: 3.2L SOHC V6 174 hp.

· Transmission: 5-speed manual

· 0-60 mph: 9.8 sec. est.

· Real vehicle price: $25,000 est. 1995

Rating:  3.9 out of 5 stars