Isuzu Wasp

The Isuzu Wasp was a one-tonne light truck that Isuzu made and sold in Japan from 1963 to 1971. Announced in June 1963 alongside the Bellett passenger car and on sale from 20 November of that year, it took a Bellett-like cab and bonnet to save cost, although its separate chassis, torsion-bar independent front suspension and rigid rear axle were quite different underneath. It was a smaller companion to the two-tonne Elfin and aimed at the market leader, the Datsun truck, and the Hino Briska. Buyers could choose a 1325 cc petrol engine or a 1764 cc diesel, but the diesel noise and smoke put people off and sales stayed modest. A van version was sold as the Bellett Express Van, and in 1972 the Wasp was replaced by the Florian-based Faster.