User:Bravada/Isuzu Bellett

The Isuzu Bellett was a subcompact car manufactured by the Isuzu Motors Ltd. in Japan from 1963 to 1973. It was an in-house designed replacement for the Hillman Minx, assembled previously by Isuzu under a license agreement. The name "Bellett" was supposedly to represent "a smaller Bellel".

The car was available as a 4-door or 2-door sedan, a rare 3-door station wagon, called Bellett Express and an even more scanty 2-door pick-up known as Isuzu Wasp. After General Motors acquired a stake in Isuzu, the Bellett was replaced by GM's "global" T-car, initially called Isuzu Bellett Gemini and later simply Isuzu Gemini, which technically had little to do with its precedecessor. A total of 170,737 of original Belletts manufactured.

Sedan
Launched in June 1963, the sedan began life with the 1.5-litre OHV petroleum engine and a 1.8-litre engine. In April 1964, they were joined by a 1.3-litre OHC. In 1966, the car fascia was facelifted, and in 1967 the 1.6-litre SOHC engine was added. It was replaced by a 1.8-litre SOHC after the 1971 facelift, which also marked the end of Diesel-powered Belletts.

GT
The Isuzu Bellett GT', launched in April 1964, was a 2-door coupe about 40mm lower than the sedan, fitted with a twin-carburetor 1.6-litre OHV petroleum engine. It was the first Japanese car to be billed "GT" (Gran Turismo). September of 1964 saw the arrival of a 1.5-litre GT, front disc brakes and some slight modifications of the GT's front. In September 1967, the base engine's power was increased, along with the addition of the fastback body style. Two years later, the 1.6-litre was upgraded to SOHC, and in 1970 it was replaced by a 1.8-litre SOHC.

GT-R
The GT-R, more specifically GT Type-R (for "racing"), was a racing version of the GT, also available to individual customers. First presented in 1969, the GT-R features a 1.6-litre DOHC engine from the 117 Coupe, power brakes and numerous other modifications. It is visually different from other Belletts primarily by a specific paint scheme, which included a completely black bonnet. The GT-Rs achieved many successes in racing, and have gained their own fan community. Only about 1,400 GT-Rs were manufactured.

The GT-R is credited for prompting Nissan to release the Skyline GT-R. It is also worth noting that Isuzu used the Type-R designation long before Honda adopted it.

MX1600
At the 1969 Tokyo Motor Show, Isuzu presented a concept car called Isuzu Bellett MX1600, designed by Tom Tjaarda. It was a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive 2-seater super sports car. Apart from sharing the 1600 engine with the GT-R, the MX1600 had little to do with any production Bellett, and it never materialized into a production Isuzu vehicle. Nevertheless, it is said to have inspired the De Thomaso Pantera by the same stylist.