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 Bellel was also offered for sale in the United States, [3] which it was imported by Trans-Alpac Corporation of Burbank, California. around 300 units made it to the United States around 1964 and 1965. [4]
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. [5] 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.
The Opel Omega is an executive car engineered and manufactured by German automaker Opel between 1986 and 2004. The first generation, the Omega A (1986–1994), superseded the Opel Rekord. It was voted European Car of the Year for 1987, and was available as a saloon or estate. The second generation, the Omega B, was manufactured from 1994 to 2004.
The Mazda Capella, also known as the 626 in Europe, 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 Camry is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Camry has grown since the 1990s to fit the mid-size classification (wide-body)—although the two widths co-existed in that decade. Since the release of the wide-bodied versions, Camry has been extolled by Toyota as the firm's second "world car" after the Corolla. As of 2022, the Camry is positioned above the Corolla and below the Avalon or Crown in several markets.
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 second-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 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 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 Toyota Sprinter is a compact car manufactured by Toyota as a variant of the Toyota Corolla. Exclusively sold in the Japanese domestic market, the Sprinter was aimed to be sportier than its Corolla sibling and also using different sheet metal mostly on the C-pillar. The Sprinter and various body styles were exclusive to Toyota Auto Store until 1977 when the Toyota Chaser took the top position. The Corolla is similarly unique to Toyota Corolla Store until the Toyota Celica was offered in 1970, which took the top position. In 1998 Toyota Auto Store and Toyota Vista Store were both replaced by Netz Store.
The Mitsubishi Mirage is a range of cars produced by the Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi from 1978 until 2003 and again since 2012. The hatchback models produced between 1978 and 2003 were classified as subcompact cars, while the sedan and station wagon models, marketed prominently as the Mitsubishi Lancer, were the compact offerings. The liftback introduced in 1988 complemented the sedan as an additional compact offering, and the coupé of 1991 fitted in with the subcompact range. The current Mirage model is a subcompact hatchback and sedan and it replaces the Mitsubishi Colt sold between 2002 and 2012.
The Toyota Mark II is a compact, later mid-size sedan manufactured and marketed in Japan by Toyota between 1968 and 2004. Prior to 1972, the model was marketed as the Toyota Corona Mark II. In most export markets, Toyota marketed the vehicle as the Toyota Cressida between 1976 and 1992 across four generations. Toyota replaced the rear-wheel-drive Cressida in North America with the front-wheel-drive Avalon. Every Mark II and Cressida was manufactured at the Motomachi plant at Toyota, Aichi, Japan from September 1968 to October 1993, and later at Toyota Motor Kyushu's Miyata plant from December 1992 to October 2000, with some models also assembled in Jakarta, Indonesia and Parañaque, Philippines as the Cressida.
The Suzuki Cultus is a supermini car produced by the Japanese manufacturer Suzuki from 1983 to 2016. The nameplate is currently used as a rebadged second-generation Suzuki Celerio in Pakistan since 2017. It was first presented at the 25th Tokyo Motor Show, formally introduced to Japan in 1983 and ultimately sold in seven countries and marketed worldwide as the Suzuki Swift. An alliance formed in 1981 between General Motors, Suzuki and Isuzu allowed GM to market the Cultus as a captive import internationally under more than a dozen nameplates including the Geo Metro, Chevrolet Sprint, Pontiac Firefly, Isuzu Geminett and Holden Barina. It was also known as the M-car within GM.
The Nissan Cedric is a large automobile produced by Nissan from 1960 to 2015. 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 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 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 Corolla E70 was the fourth generation of cars sold by Toyota under the Corolla nameplate.
The Corolla E90 was the sixth generation of cars sold by Toyota under the Corolla nameplate, introduced in 1987 for the 1988 model year. It was the last generation of Corolla to be classified as a subcompact car and the first to be exclusively front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive; the performance option of rear-wheel drive was dropped.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help)