Isuzu Bellel | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Isuzu |
Production | 1961–1967 |
Assembly | Fujisawa Plant, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan |
Body and chassis | |
Class | compact |
Body style | 4-door sedan 5-door station wagon |
Powertrain | |
Engine | |
Transmission | 4-speed manual |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 2,530 mm (100 in) |
Length | 4,485 mm (176.6 in) wagon 4,470 mm (176 in) sedan |
Width | 1,690 mm (67 in) |
Height | 1,500 mm (59 in) 1,515 mm (59.6 in) sedan |
Curb weight | 1,190 kg (2,620 lb) 1,295 mm (51.0 in) wagon |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | Isuzu Hillman Minx |
Successor | Isuzu Florian |
The Isuzu Bellel is a compact car produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Isuzu from 1961 to 1967. It was the company's first independent design, and also Japan's first passenger car with a diesel engine. It was available as a four-door sedan and a five-door station wagon, called the Bellel Express. The Bellel Express was technically speaking a commercial vehicle, as was the custom in Japan at the time. The name "Bellel" resulted from combining the English word "bell" with the Roman numeral "L", equalling 50, and thus the name was supposed to represent "fifty Bells" (Isuzu literally means "fifty bells" in Japanese), and reflects a tradition within Isuzu of naming products that use terms that have special significance in Japan. Production began in time for the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo in October 1964, with initial release in select Japanese cities starting in April 1962.
The Bellel was fitted with 1.5 L and 2.0 L gasoline OHV engines with a Bosch licensed fuel injection system, [1] and also the aforementioned 55 PS (40 kW) 2.0 L diesel (DL201) engine. [2] The original diesel engine was called the DL200; it offered 52 PS (38 kW). All engines were mated with a four-speed manual transmission with the shifter mounted on the steering column. The suspension setup was modeled after the Hillman Minx, which was previously manufactured by Isuzu under a license agreement with the Rootes Group. The list of standard equipment expanded so that it could compete for sales against more popular products from more prolific Japanese manufacturers, helping to justify the yearly road tax bill for using a large displacement engine, while remaining compliant with Japanese Government dimension regulations. As the private car ownership market in Japan began to grow, the Bellel was offered as an alternative to the Toyota Crown, Nissan Cedric, and the Prince Gloria.
The original end treatment was updated in October 1965 in an attempt to afford the Bellel a more formal, upscale and mainstream look. The facelift included changes to the front fascia, where the previous single round headlights paired with smaller turn signals were replaced by quad round headlights arranged vertically.
The diesel engine - a first for a Japanese passenger car - made the Bellel popular for commercial applications, such as taxicab services. [3] This partially helped to offset the Bellel's relative unpopularity with private customers, which resulted from the harshness of the early diesel engine and peculiar styling. A small number of these cars found their way into other countries, with the Bellel also offered with left-hand drive. 37,206 Bellels were manufactured in total (including the Express wagon/van), with production coming to an end in May 1967. Isuzu had a long history of manufacturing diesel engine products, and noticed in Europe that the Mercedes Benz and Peugeot intermediate class sedans also offered a diesel engine option and decided to offer one as well.
The Chevrolet Chevette is a front-engine, rear-drive subcompact manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet for model years 1976–1987 as a three-door or five-door hatchback. Introduced in North America in September 1975, the Chevette superseded the Vega as Chevrolet's entry-level subcompact, and sold 2.8 million units over 12 years. The Chevette was the best-selling small car in the U.S. for model years 1979 and 1980.
Isuzu Motors Ltd., commonly known as Isuzu, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. Its principal activity is the production, marketing and sale of Isuzu commercial vehicles and diesel engines.
The Mazda Capella, also known as the 626 in North America and Southeast Asia, is a mid-size car that was manufactured by Mazda from 1970 until 2002. Sold in the Japanese domestic market under the Capella name, the vehicle was also commonly known in other major markets as the Mazda 626. Ford, Mazda's partner at the time, also used the Capella platform to create the Ford Telstar and Ford Probe. 4,345,279 of the 626 and Telstar models were sold worldwide.
The Mazda Familia, also marketed prominently as the Mazda 323, Mazda Protegé and Mazda Allegro, is a small family car that was manufactured by Mazda between 1963 and 2003. The Familia line was replaced by the Mazda3/Axela for 2004.
The Toyota Corona is an automobile manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota across eleven generations between 1957 and 2001. On launch, the Corona was Toyota's next to highest product in their range, just below the Crown. The Corona was marketed in the JDM at Toyota's Toyopet Store dealership channels, and the Corona was one of Toyota's first models exported to other global markets, followed by the smaller Toyota Corolla.
The Isuzu Aska was a nameplate used by Isuzu Motors Ltd. of Japan to denote their mid-size sedans from 1983 to 2002. Originally, the Aska was a version of GM's J-car produced by Isuzu, but later, after Isuzu pulled out of manufacturing passenger cars, the nameplate was applied to rebadged versions of the Subaru Legacy and Honda Accord sold through Isuzu's Japanese distribution network.
The Subaru Leone is a compact car produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Subaru from 1971 to 1994. The word leone is Italian for lion.
The Isuzu Gemini is a subcompact car produced by the Japanese automaker Isuzu from 1974 until 2000. The same basic product was built and/or sold under several other names, sometimes by other General Motors brands, in various markets around the world. While the first generation was of a rear-wheel drive design, later versions were all front-wheel-drive, and the last two generations were no more than badge-engineered Honda Domani until the name was retired in 2000.
The Honda Concerto is a car produced from 1988 to 1996. It was jointly developed by Honda and the Austin Rover Group and was introduced in Japan on 15 June 1988, and in European markets in October 1989. Japanese production finished in October 1992 and British production finished in 1995. The car was named for the musical composition and was a successor to the second generation Honda Ballade, a higher specification Honda Civic. All Japanese versions were exclusive to Japanese Honda dealerships called Honda Clio.
The Nissan Cedric is a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family. In later years, the Nissan Skyline was positioned as a sports sedan/coupe, whereas the Nissan Gloria was turned into a sporty version of the Cedric.
The Toyota Crown is an automobile which has been produced by Toyota in Japan since 1955. It is primarily a line of mid-size luxury cars that is marketed as an upmarket offering in the Toyota lineup.
The Mitsubishi Triton or Mitsubishi L200 is a compact pickup truck produced by Mitsubishi Motors. In Japan, where it has only been sold intermittently and in small numbers, it was originally known as the Mitsubishi Forte and from 1991 as the Strada. In the United States, Chrysler Corporation sold captive imports as the Dodge D50, Dodge Ram 50 and Plymouth Arrow truck, and Mitsubishi marketed it as the Mitsubishi Mighty Max until 2002.
The Isuzu Florian is an intermediate class car manufactured by Isuzu Motors Ltd. in Japan from November 1967 until 1983. The Florian's body remained essentially the same through its unusually long life cycle, being afforded only two moderate facelifts. The Isuzu Florian was originally presented as the Ghia Isuzu 117 Sedan at the 1966 Tokyo Motor Show and shared its complete chassis with the closely related Isuzu 117 Coupé. Originally available only with a 1.6 liter gasoline inline-four engine producing 84 PS (62 kW) at 5200 rpm, a 1.8 liter version was later added as was a diesel option, first seen in 1977.
The Isuzu Bellett is a subcompact car produced by the Japanese manufacturer Isuzu between 1963 and 1973. Designed by Isuzu, the Bellett replaced the Isuzu Hillman Minx, manufactured by Isuzu under license with the Rootes Group.
The Isuzu 117 Coupé is a compact Gran Turismo type 2-door fastback coupé which was produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Isuzu between 1968 and 1981. 117 was a codename for a common development program of Isuzu mid-size cars, involving a coupé, sedan and station wagon. The latter two eventually became the Isuzu Florian, but the coupe kept the original name, and both models shared mechanicals, including the complete FR layout chassis with recirculating ball steering.
The Peugeot 308 is a small family car produced by French automaker Peugeot. It was unveiled in June 2007, and launched in September 2007. The 308 replaced the 307, and positioned below the 508 and above the smallest 208.
The Mitsubishi Delica is a range of vans and pickup trucks designed and built by the Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors since 1968. It was originally based on a cabover van and pickup truck introduced the previous year, also called the Delica, its name a contraction of the English language phrase Delivery car. This pickup truck, and a commercial van derived from it has received many names in export markets, being sold as the L300 in Europe, Jamaica and New Zealand, Express and Starwagon in Australia, and plain Mitsubishi Van and Wagon in the United States. The passenger car versions were known as Delica Star Wagon from 1979 until the 1994 introduction of the Delica Space Gear, which became simply Space Gear in Europe at least. The most recent version is called the Delica D:5. With the exception of the first, versions of all generations are still being sold in various international markets.
The Isuzu Elf is a medium duty truck produced by Isuzu since 1959. Outside Japan it is known as N series and Q Series. The range was originally mainly available in Japan and other Asian countries. Australia was another important market for the Elf and N series – to the extent that it was manufactured there from the 1970s using many local components. Since the early 1980s, it has also been sold and built in the United States, and also as the Isuzu N-Series. Only North America receives the wide-cab version.
The Volkswagen Passat (B1) is a large family car produced by Volkswagen in West Germany from 1973 to 1981.
The Isuzu Hillman Minx was a series of middle-sized family cars produced by Isuzu Motors in Japan under licence from the Rootes Group between 1953 and 1964. The models were broadly equivalent to the Hillman Minx Mark VI to Mk VIII and Series 1 to Series 3A produced at the same time in the UK, although some notable divergence occurred in the later years as production became localised in Japan.