Back in the 1960’s, Japanese commercial vehicle and diesel engine manufacturing company, Isuzu Motors Ltd. (いすゞ自動車株式会社) which is headquartered in Tokyo, was looking to jump into the world of competition racing, and compete against other brands such as Nissan and Toyota. In order to do this, a new sports prototype racer would be created, which is this car shown here, the 1969 Isuzu Bellett R6 Coupé. The R6 made it’s racing debut during the Japanese Grand Prix which took place on October 10th of 1969, where two examples were entered (28,29), and the cars were driven by Jun'ichiro Kasuya, Tachio Yonemura, Shigeki Asaoka, and Shogo Omori to a best result of 19th in car number 28. The team of drivers, which would later include Gregg Young, took place in a number of other events such as the 500km Fuji in 1971 where the R6 finished 4th, and the 300km Fuji in 1972 where the car finished 5th. Not only could it race, but it was also an extremely attractive design, perhaps even one of the best looking cars in the entire 2 liter category (GP-II). The R6 was constructed on a tubular monocoque chassis which is dressed with a curvy fiberglass body which demonstrated some impressive aerodynamics and light-weight capabilities due to the fact that the car was designed in a wind tunnel. While the R6 was quite and encouraging race car, it wasn’t exactly the most successful, which can directly be blamed by a lack of preparation and experience at the time, coupled with technical difficulties along the way, which seemingly, ever racing team will encounter one way or another. With only two cars ever built, I wonder just where they may reside today! What do you think about this very rare and unique racer?
How many made? 2
Engine: 1.6L DOHC inline-4 cylinder powered by Solex 40PHH carburetors - 150hp
Debut: 1969 GP Japan
Top Speed: N/A
0-60mph: N/A
Photo Credit: automobiles-japonaises.com
Research: @rarecarsonly