Hi people,

Doug Hillier who recently joined the forum has asked if he could add some information to the "Belletts In Canada" section.

Given he's actually Canadian, I think we should let him! James C Mays is an excellent historian, however Doug has been around them for years and has some first-hand experience.

Tell us what you know, Doug!

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks Dave,

I did post a short blurb of my experience in reply to another posting else where on the board.
Can I cross post it here?
I guess I could copy it over and clean it up before posting.

OK now having perused much of the reset of this site I see there is a lot more history already here than what I know.

Here is what I posted over in another forum just to get it in the right place here.

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Here is some of what I know off the top of my head.
I grew up in the Edmonton area and came across a few Belletts in my time and took to collecting them. They were sold through a dealer in Calgary in the mid to late 60s. I've seen model years 65 through 69, my understanding was after 1970 there were no more sold, and parts and service were handled through Toyota dealers for a while in Canada.

As far as I have been able to gather the Belletts were never sold in the US. Any reference to Isuzus down here are the post 90 models, and most people have no clue anything existed before that (and are not very interested themselves).

In terms of cars on the road, I currently have a 65 that was in running condition about 2 years ago and I have not got around to getting it back on the road (need to bleed the brakes and really should replace some brake cylinders). I also have a 66 as a parts car and pieces (engine, transmission and a couple boxes of interior trim bits) out of a 67 that I parted out before I moved down to CA. Mine was a sweet deal, bought it of an elderly lady in Victoria (i.e. no snowy/salty Canadian roads) and she had only driven it once a week to church and back, still had (and has) the original plastic protection over the inside door panels. The 67 that I parted out was my first car and I drove it across the prairies and back when I went to Waterloo to study back in the mid 80s. The 66 I have, I spotted while driving around Regina one summer and eventually was able to convince the owner to sell. I drove that for a number of years but the Alberta roads took their toll on the body and it became the parts mobile after I picked up the 65. Also before all that, what started my interest, was my Dad was basically given a 65 back when I was about 12 (he bought it for $1.00) and when the cooling system went on it (I think the water pump just broke internally, but we never knew that) my brother and I would drive it around our little 3 acre lot just for fun, even before we were old enough to have a license.

I have a brother-in-law who also has one (I forget what year, but I think it was a 67) that is sitting on the a farm near Edmonton (it had spent most of it's live in Vancouver and then on a storage lot on the island). I think it still needs some serious work to become road worthy.

About 10 years ago I exchanged emails with someone else here in CA who had imported 3 Bellels, I am not sure of the condition of those any more.

About 6 years ago I had an email from someone in Texas who was needing to part with a GT I think it was, due to changing priorities (parenting has a way of doing that to us, and rightly so). Also I had heard from one of the other users here who lives in Florida.

In addition to that I had heard or seen of a Bellett in Michigan I think it was that presumable had come over the border some time back.

So that's a brief synopsis of my passion for these little cuties. I'ld be happy to be a curator for the NA history if those over here want to post or email me their tidbits.

Hi Doug,
Thanks for posting your interesting history with Belletts. I think there is always
a family ownership of just one of them that sparks a long term passion for these beauties.
Cheers, Lewis