Isuzu Bellet 1600 GT - #1 Tom Thoma - SCCA Divisional Kent 1966 1.0

Successful in Japan and Australia, but extremely rare in the United States, the Bellet 1600GT was a sports coupe developed by Isuzu which with its DOHC Four, could stand in the fighting ring alongside contemporaries such as the Ford Cortina and Alfa Romeo Giulia.


Other than a home movie taken at Newport Airfield in Oregon, very little could be dug up on Keith Swisher and his pair of stateside Bellets.


Seemingly local to the Pacific Northwest, partial records show Swisher having competed with an Isuzu at a non-championship race at Suzuka in March 1964. Then apparently back in America, Swisher and team mate Tom Thoma competed in races in Oregon and Washington State, between the Summer of '64 through to the Spring of '66. That's it for the otherwise mysterious Swisher and Co.


Anyways, enjoy this odd footnote in SCCA History. Unfortunately, Isuzu only lasted a few decades in North America before being pulled back across the Pacific. Even then, models like the Bellet GT and beautiful 117 never commercially extended beyond Japan. So I encourage you to give this a try, or at least add it to your stable of historic and vintage racing cars.