Hi everyone,

My name's Paul. About time I got going on this forum - thanks to Dave for alerting me a while back. I first met Dave at a Mobil service station west of Adelaide probably 10 - 11 years ago when he walked up to my white Bellett sedan and started telling me all about it... Firstly I was surprised that a young guy knew what the hell kinda car it was; secondly he almost seemed as passionate about it as me. And thirdly he didn't appear to own one at that stage, but had been mucking around with Geminis, but professed to really wanting a Bellett. Little did I know that actually meant 2 or 3 or 4 Belletts. Fast forward to now and look what he and his partners in cyber-bellett-dom have created.. such a forum full of Bellett info, stories, and importantly, people. Well done and cheers to you guys.

OK, enough about Dave... I'm supposed to be intro-ing myself. Rewind to early 1966; my parents buy a brand new '65 Bellett manual sedan, Inlet Blue was the colour they tell me, grey interior, beaut car. In April they drive along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria (still considered a terrific road trip here in Aust) to Melbourne... for their honeymoon. Both my parents have fond memories of that car (I'll bet...), but by 1969 it is sold to make way for something bigger to fit a new family into.

The immediate family goes Bellett-less until the mid 1970's when another comes to live with us.. this time obviously second-hand, and as a second car. Dad reckons it was a '66 automatic, white with a red interior. Mum reckons it was gutless and made Dad drive it to work so she didn't have to get out and push it around the suburbs. Not much to be said for 1960's slush-boxes mated to 1500cc I guess. Mind you mum was the proverbial lead-foot.

Going back 1 step, in 1971 my aunty buys a 1969 Bellett Deluxe manual sedan, white with black interior, first registered on the 16th March 1970. Must have been one of the last brought into Oz. She's a nurse, and drives it the short distance from Glenelg to Adelaide each day for her shifts, for nearly 10 years, never missing a beat.

Back to my parents; in the late 70's one of my favourite cars as a child growing up arrives.. a FLORIAN! White, black interior, I seem to recall a 'deluxe' badge also. Many fond memories looking at the back of the drivers seat (my eye line at the time) with Mum fanging to the shops and back. Unfortunately our pet cat at the time didn't have such fond memories... One afternoon having left home in a hurry and zooming out onto Marion Road, a main road heading to the city, she was trying to ignor her 2 young children screaming something about 'Fluffy' (the cat), until some other drivers started pointing to the rear of the car... When she finally looked in the rear-view mirror (and this was after travelling about a kilometre and a half down the road), there was Fluffy, clinging to the leading edge of the boot lid for dear life, looking back at her... not impressed! Now those of you who've seen a Florian boot - well, it angles down somewhat, so that cat was doing a super effort just to hold on, let alone for a kay and a half at 50-60 clicks... Needless to say Fluffy thought twice about sunning himself on the back of the Florian again.

Skipping forward to 1988, the Florian, which hadn't been used for a couple of years gets sold to a family relative who is an avid car restorer. Unfortunately this is just prior to me gaining my drivers license. But all is not lost, friends... That '69 Deluxe that my aunty bought... well it's been in storage at my grandmother's house for almost all of the '80's, and is just right for my sister and I to learn to drive with. After 8 years of not even being turned over, all it took was Dad and I about 30 mins with a new battery and squirting fuel directly into the main venturi and she came back to life... unreal. And the only money to be spent on getting her back on the road went on a new clutch, brake overhaul, kitting the carby, coil+cap+rotor+leads+plugs, filters, tyres, and a new radiator core. Sweet. The door trims still had their plastic dust covers on them. Pristine. Only weird thing is that the front & back door trims don't match... what the? Obviously never did; never will. Another example of each Bellett being a little different to the others...

My sister gets to drive it first; it's then handed down to me on - how about this - 16th March '90, exactly 20 years to the day after the car was first registered. Naturally it's been mine ever since.

Now forward to about 1993-94, and while driving the Deluxe is see my first ever Bellett GT. Parked in a carpark, I thought about waiting for the owner to come back, but the girl in my passenger seat wouldn't have a bar of it, so it was an all to fleeting drive-by and that was it. Beautiful dark gunmetal in colour and so low to the ground. I instantly wanted one, like most of us here! By 1996 a few keen Bellett owners started an unofficial Bellett club here in South Australia... and guess what - up popped the same gunmetal '67 GT! We all got together for a few cruises etc, but by 2002, with numbers dwindling, only a few guys were left, and with new commitments (burgeoning families) we stopped taking the cars out - and a few were sold. Before this, I'd made the guy who owned the GT to promise me that if he ever wanted to sell it, he had to ring me first. He said he never had the intention of selling - it was his dad's car... Well, last October I got a phone call... Only took me about 15 years to get that car I saw in the carpark!

Now, I'm very lucky to have a beautiful wife and 2 beautiful young boys. I didn't know the boys were into cars as they hadn't shown much interest in my Deluxe, as it's been in storage the last few years. However, as soon as the gruff, burbling and comparatively noisy GT arrived, our youngest was besotted. "Broom-broom" he calls it, and "DT". Close. Every time I come home from work having decided to give the GT a run, it's a race to see who can get on Dad's lap, beep the horn (which is friggin' loud), who gets to be the passenger; and we all three drive it into the garage with mum looking on, rolling her eyes at the testosterone on display. Basically she's got no hope.

She lives in a home full of Bellett.Boys

I promise not to type so much again.

Cheers, Paul.

welcome mate, nice to have another adelaide guy here! and i am insanely jealous you have a florian tucked away! be sure to write up about the cars and put some pics up for us to see!

Welcome aboard (again), you have much history....(hanging off every word yu wrote !!). Similar happens in our house hold, but my two boys a little older, love to go for a fang in the metalic blue GT with me. Brad, 12, already thinks it's his, and would like it as a second car to the nissan he dreams about.

Yes,...Dave was a gem found also, as I'm relatively new to the forum.

I had another GT prior to this restored model. That one was gunmetal grey also (red interior) totally original. Go to my belletts for a history of it.(unfortunate sad ending to grey GT)

What engine is in yours? Is it the SOHV like my jobby? Do show pics as you know us fellow bellettiers just get off on it !! Stay in contact, and we might all hit the road together for a fang soon.

Oh, and don't forget Bay to Birdwood and Nats later this year. Speak to Dave,

Cheers, B.

Nice to read histories like yours. Very familiar - I just wish I could type! Looking forward to meeting all you guys in september. Please post more piccies!
Matt.

Paul,
Your story is similar to mine also, my first GT I had to sell due to the impending arrival of our first daughter, not long after I sold it, the GT was written off by an XD Falcon with a drunk driver!!! (STUPID PRICK!!)
Then I bought a new 1969 Florian, what a great car, however they were not the same handling as the Bellett, I had to give it a flick to get to around corners without understeer, good fun though!!
Now I drive a 1968 1/2 GT first registered 17th May 1968, nice car. In between I havd had about 5 other Isuzus including some Bellettes and a Rodeo, which I tricked up a bit, now gone for an Falcon XR6T, also a nice car.

Welcome aboard, hopefully we can all get together at Bay to Birdwood.

As many of my friends say, "the Bellett and its followers will always last longer than the Gemini".
I guess you could say it is the "CHARACTER" the Belett exumes~!!
Dave M.

It looks like we all have something in common here But unfortunately in my history I WAS the "stupid prick" who tossed my first GT into a paddock. (possibly the second worst feeling on earth!!)

now ,now... no name calling .... (but I do hang my head in shame some days )

And another Dave m with great history....a pleasure soon to meet .

Stay cool,
B.

Thanks guys for the warm welcome. Sounds like my story has struck a chord with a few on this forum. I'm also looking forward to catching up with all and sundry later in the year here in Adelaide. Will be the first time in about a decade that I've seen more than 2 or 3 Belletts together in the same place - apart from the driveway of course.

Mr Flibbles - I wish I still had the Florian - I'll see if I can track it down... as mentioned it went to a second or third cousin of my mum's at the time, who restored it and we think sold it on.

Bruno - I've had a look at the photos of your current gt at the all jap day - very nice indeed. My gt doesn't have the original grille like yours - so you're 1 up on me mate. My engine is back to being as original as practical - previous owner had played with high comp pistons etc, but they were replaced a few years back. So it's basically SOHV running Nissan N13 electronic ignition.

Dave M and Matt - thanks for the welcome. I was too young to drive when we had the Florian, so I've no idea on it's performance or otherwise - I just remember the unique shape and bouncing around on the seats. Still, I'd love to see one fully restored - not going to hold my breath though.

I'll put up some photos of the GT in "My Bellett".

Paul.

Yes Paulo ! Belletts 'en mass. That will be a sight to behold. Most looking forward to And to think all you guys actually live just down the road

"SOHV with EI", got to see that !! Ohh.. please show photos.

P.S. One day we may be blessed to see a Florian in the flesh, but for now I've got images of Fluffy hangi'n on by her claws, fangin' down Marion rd

B.