Quote Originally Posted by vt_maverick View Post
He said "offered" you said "technically yes" so I'm saying "for sure, no" on the OP's initial question. As for the "designed from the outset..." argument, the VX was built on a Trooper chassis with a Rodeo dash to save $$$. Both of those vehicles had manual transmission options, so unless Isuzu was going to design a brand new auto-only firewall the VX couldn't help but be compatible with a manual transmission. It's like Tom said, the ability to swap to a manual was a side benefit of recycling existing components, not by some grand design.
Nobody ever said by"Grand Design", merely that the factory had the option to offer it for their rally-racing promotional cars. Also, I think the fact that manual transmission info found its way into the VX parts catalog demostrates that the factory probably did install those five manuals. They had the where withall to do it best, especially the electrical part that Tom mentions.