Isuzu Bellel Diesel
Isuzu put an economical diesel engine into a six-seat family sedan when diesel passenger cars were still rare in Japan.
1964 Isuzu Bellel 2000 Diesel Special Deluxe museum car · TTTNIS · CC0 1.0 Universal
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
Isuzu announced the Bellel diesel passenger car in October 1961, and the preserved PSD10 was manufactured in 1962. It became an important taxi as well as a family sedan because diesel fuel economy suited high-mileage work. In 1963 the Bellel diesel became the first automobile to receive an award from the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers. No safely licensed exact 1962 photo was found: the cover is a clearly labeled 1964 Bellel 2000 Diesel Special Deluxe, so trim and body details can differ from this 1962 PSD10 profile.
Look a little closer.
The Bellel carried six people, and its distinctive triangular tail-lamps made the early sedan easy to recognize from behind.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
A diesel pioneer for real work
JSAE says many Bellel diesels served as taxis because of their economy. The model helped show that a diesel could power a regular passenger sedan rather than only a truck or bus.
Source: JSAE · Isuzu Bellel PSD10 ↗Monocoque plus side members
The steel body is a monocoque reinforced with box-shaped side members. Independent front suspension uses coil springs, while the rear axle rides on half-elliptic leaf springs.
Source: JSAE · Isuzu Bellel PSD10 ↗Where these facts come from
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 29, 2026.