Suntory began brewing beer in 1963 and the bottles weren’t going to deliver themselves. There weren’t a ton of options available at the time. A Nissan 410/411 Bluebird had only a 1.2-liter engine, and the full-size 1.9-liter Cedric was too big and fancy. Same went for the Toyota Crown, the tiny Publica would have been impractical, and the Corona/Tiara managed to squeeze only 48ps out of its 1.5. Honda had barely begun making its first cars.
Suntory apparently turned to Isuzu, often forgotten today but once a booming automaker. The Bellett was far more substantial than the Nissan and Toyota compacts and its 1.5-liter made a whopping 63ps. Incidentally, the Bellett Express delivery van, though resembling a Bellett sedan in the front, boasted an entirely different frame design and was built in a completely different factory. And since the Bellett was introduced in 1963, perhaps Suntory felt some kinship with Isuzu as it launched its new beverage.
