CarBrandLogos archive · Isuzu · 1963

IsuzuBellett

The car that put a GT badge on a Japanese boot lid for the first time.

Photo: Tommi Nummelin · CC BY-SA 3.0

The story

A defining chapter in Isuzu history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Isuzu Bellett, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Isuzu's small saloon of 1963 was more ambitious than its dimensions suggested. The Bellett used a front-engine, rear-drive layout with independent suspension at both ends — swing axles at the rear — at a time when most Japanese rivals still rode on live axles and leaf springs. It replaced the licence-built Hillman Minx and gave Isuzu its first genuinely competitive small car.

1966 Isuzu Bellett 01 · Mytho88 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

The version that mattered was the Bellett GT of 1964, whose badge is generally cited as the first use of "GT" on a Japanese production car. It took the 1.6-litre engine from the saloon range, and at the end of the decade the GT-R added the twin-cam G161W and a distinctive black-roofed body. Bellett GTs raced at Suzuka and Fuji through the 1960s and built a following that outlasted the model's sales.

Isuzu Bellett 1500 rear · TTTNIS · Public domain

In production

Bodies ran from two- and four-door saloons to a fastback coupé, a van and a coupé utility called the Wasp, and assembly extended to New Zealand, the Philippines and Canada. Production ended in 1973, when the Gemini — an Opel Kadett derivative developed under General Motors' new stake in the company — replaced it. With it went most of Isuzu's independence in passenger-car engineering.

1970 Isuzu Bellett GTR rear · TTTNIS · Public domain

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1963–1973

Engine

1.3&nbsp

Body

2/4-door sedan

Technical specification

The Bellett, in detail.

Production: 1963–1973
Class: Compact
Body style: 2/4-door sedan (car); sedan ; 2-door coupé ; 2-door fastback coupé ; 3-door van ; 2-door coupe utility (Wasp)
Layout: FR layout
Engine: 1.3 L G130 OHV I4; 1.5 L G150 OHV I4; 1.6 L G160 OHV I4; 1.6 L G161/G161S SOHC I4; 1.6 L G161W DOHC I4; 1.8 L G180 SOHC I4; 1.8 L C180 diesel I4
Transmission: 4-speed manual; 3-speed automatic
Assembly: Japan: Kawasaki, Kanagawa (Kawasaki Plant); New Zealand: Thames; Philippines: Las Piñas (1965–1974); Canada: Point Edward, Nova Scotia (Canadian Motor Industries)
Manufacturer: Isuzu