Isuzu Bellel (PSD10) 1961 - 1966

[kombota]

The Bellel was a typical mid-size car of the early 1960s. On its debut, it featured relaxed European styling and a novel design that emphasized straight lines, as expressed in its triangular tail lamps and the like. It also had a diesel engine variant in addition to a gasoline engine, and was a popular choice for taxi companies due to its economy. In April 1963, it won the 1962 Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers Prize, being feted as a pioneer of Japanese diesel passenger vehicles and described as an "inventive and excellent feat of engineering". One example that has been specially preserved is a diesel PSD10 model with triangular tail lamps, which is kept at Isuzu's Fujisawa plant.

The Isuzu Bellel was an intermediate car manufactured by Isuzu Motors Ltd. in Japan from 1961 to 1966. It was the company's first independent design, and also Japan's first passenger car with a diesel engine. It was available as a 4-door sedan and a 4-door station wagon, called the Bellel Express. 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).

The Bellel was fitted with 1.5 L and 2.0 L gasoline OHV engines, and also the aforementioned 2.0 L diesel engine. All three 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 original front end on the 1961 model was fitted with stacked headlamps similar to the Nissan Cedric. However, in 1962, a simple twin headlight configuration was used. Initially, the Bellels had quite original, triangular taillights, but these were dropped during a 1965 facelift in an attempt to afford the Bellel a more formal, upscale and mainstream look. The facelift also included changes to the front fascia, where the previous single round headlights paired with smaller turn signals were replaced by quad round headlights arranged horizontally.

The diesel engine made the Bellel popular for commercial applications, such as taxicab services. 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 left-hand drive. 37,206 Bellels were manufactured in total.


   

Storage location : ISUZU MOTORS FUJISAWA PLANT (8, Tsuchadana, Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa 252-8501)

Year manufactured : 1962

Manufacturer : Isuzu Motors Ltd.

Classification : Mass-production vehicle

Current status : In storage: not open to the public

   
Vehicle name / Manufacture     
Vehicle name : Isuzu Bellel Diesel

Model name : Isuzu PSD10

Company name : Isuzu Motors Limited

Year manufactured : 1962

Vehicle type/usage : Passenger car

Location of actual vehicle/replica : Isuzu Motors Ltd., Fujisawa


   
Model / Weight     
Style : Sedan

Number of doors : 4

Passenger capacity : 6

Vehicle weight : 1260 kg


   
Body / Size     
Structure : Steel sheet unit body construction

Bumpers : Provided

Step : None

Overall length : 4485 mm

Overall width : 1690 mm

Overall height : 1490 mm

Tire size : 7.00-13


   
Body / Axle / Driving / Others     
Frame : Monocoque with square type side members

Front axle : Independent suspension, coil spring

Rear axle : Semifloating type, 1/2 leaf

Wheelbase : 2530 mm

Front tread x rear tread : 1339×1360 mm

Vehicle height adjustment : None

Steering : Recirculating ball type

Dampers : Front/rear cylinder double-acting type

Stabilizer : Front torsion bar

Driving stability devices : None


   
Engine / Size / Power     
Engine name : DL201 type diesel engine

Cooling/cylinder arrangement : Water-cooled/inline 4-cylinder

Valve train : OHV

Bore x stroke : 83×92 mm

Displacement : 1991 cc

Ignition system : Pre-combustion chamber type

Max. power/r.p.m. : 55 ps/3800 rpm

Max. torque/r.p.m. : 12.3 kgm/2200 rpm

Supercharger : None

Variable ignition system : None

Fuel tank capacity : 47 L


   
Hybrid     
Hybrid system type : None


   
Drive-train     
Transmission : MT4

Drive system : FR


   
Performance     
Mode fuel efficiency : -


   
Reference materials : Isuzu Jidosha 50 Nenshi; Isuzu Technical Review,38, 97; Isuzu Diesel Gijyutsu 50 Nenshi

Nelson (kombota)