some more from My Nostalgic Hero.

never seen this series Fastback before..

OZ

WTF is that? That must be an earlier version of the Fastback? A production mule? Test rig?

Does anyone have any thoughts on this on? JT, can you translate the Japanese?

Cheers,
R.

That's the prototype picture that was in one of the other books/magazines. The three slit windows and rear roof shape look very Mustang Fastback like.

I'll clarify, I can't read the ten thousand or so little pictograph symbols. I know basic sentence structure, have about a first grade Japanese vocabulary, and when writing a letter am motivated enough to type the spellings into the computer and look up every single pictograph and select the correct one to go with the definition... Anything coming the other direction becomes more or less like code breaking. Ask someone how to use a Kanji dictionary, it involves a lot of searching for the little square thing, the little pitchfork thing, the little thing with the leg that comes out to the left, etc. There's 214 of those little symbols within just the basic pictographs, combined to make the whole. I'm still working on that MX1600 article from last year.
I try to pick what is the most promising looking articles to throw myself at, because I won't find out what it says for many months. I'd love to do the Neko book for Piazza, Bellett GT-R, and 117 Coupe, but I that book would probably take 40-50 years and it would probably outlive me through attrition.

Cool! Looks better than the final product, IMO.

yep, seen that one before too.

was the prototype/styling mule done in late 1966 for the fastback GT.
they used an 'old' PR90 as the donor car for the exercise.

cheers.

I dunno man, this looks fugly-as! Obviously if it were a production model I'd still want one...but it was probably a wise move to go to the round lights to further differentiate the fastback.

Looks like they just re-used the standard rear-window too! I may be mistaken.

Hey I moved this to the "Bellett articles" as the other section has kind of evolved into a section for factory publications.

Cheers,

Dave

Me thinks it looks lovely, and not so Mazda, anyway I'll have one.

Santa Can I please have one for Xmas

I like the prototype better than the production car. It's not perfect, but it is better.

The wider C pillar is much more muscular. I love having the pop out rear side windows and the extra ventilation on hot days, but reducing that window size and showing more metal right there gives a more masculine look to the car. I would have leaned toward reducing the rear side window size, possible a three sided shape, and increasing the size of those vents. A fixed window with large operable vents would have done it for ventilation.
1965 Mustang Fastback

1966 Mustang Fastback


The drip rail is annoying and it would be better without it.

The older tail lights are not as appealing to my eye. The three circle tail lights from the production car look nice.
The trunk lid extends down to the bumper.
I would really rather have the hatch encircle the rear window, but I'm a hatchback fan.
The sloped down tail is better though. It is truer to the appearance of the family.

But the big thing is the shape of the rear window. The production car picks up the look of the sedan. The rear glass is, or looks concave. It was a change in the wrong direction, away from the theme of the GT shape.

mistaken....
much to tall for a sedan window, and a sedan unit curves more at each end.
that one looks much flatter.
origin: unknown!

cheers.

WOW I like it.
It looks a bit like a........... Morris Marina coupe?

i would drive it....

Hi Yellowperil
I think you must have a bit of a thing Morris Marinas

Geoff

Just goes to show, how ALL the other Japanese car manufactures, followed ISUZU, after ISUZU had made prototypyes. Check all ISUZU'S styling and drawings, prior to any others release. Also 117 coupe, (Fiat 124) copy? Mazda R100 ? Bellett Fastback. Datsun 1600, Mazda 1500 ( Florian ) Also check the stying of the Dolimite, weired !!

Well, It's different! Where is it now??
Yeah, PR90 is evident in the early dash that can just be made out. And they've added sedan-type side chrome which makes the windows look taller.
But the tacked-in bootlid / tail treatment is.....very unatractive! But I guess you'd need it to get anything in there. It would be a bit like working under the bonnet of an early Transit van! (Rotten)
Yeah, I'd give it a home!
Cheers, Matt.

Okay after looking at that picture I need to ask some questions

If the car is a late 66, when did they start using the hexagonal taillights 1966 or 1967 ?
Are they Deluxe hubcaps on the wheels ?
and lastly, what's with the bumper, it was my understanding that style of bumper wasn't used until 69 ?

Yes I am a novice in relation to Bellett history and pieces used on the cars any information will be greatly received.

Cheers
Rob

Rob
The t/lights were used in all GT'Sas at 1965 Jap year 1966 Aust through to 1968 1/2 Dave M car where the strip type t/lights came in.
The 1964 proto type had tear drop lightys as per 65/6 sedan but not a lot of them around.
May be deluxe hubies but more likely PR90 with the ISUZU C/Cap riveted on.
The bumper is std on 66 PR90 & upwards to the best of my knowledge
cheers ken

correct.
i'll expand....

8 prototype GT's were built in late 1963 that had sedan tear drop tailights (and sedan front treatment too), but they were never sold to the public like that. i'll find a pic and post it.
the "hexagonial" tailights appeared in april 1964 in japan and were in all public sold PR90's and single headlight PR91's, like mine. sedan's had them fitted from early 1966.
the long strip tailights appeared in may 1968 on GT's like '1968GT's and sedan's like '2ldohc's.
hubcaps are 1964 (ie: early) PR90. different styler again to deluxe. we never got them here, as our PR90's were the 1965 onwards version that had some updates fitted, including different hubcaps, which then also went onto all PR91's we received too.
the bumper is standard to all of these 1965 'update' and onwards GT's.

hope this helps.

here u go....
the very 1st GT.
as u can see, it looks just like a 2 door coupe version of a tear drop sedan.
i know i've seen an interior pic of this car in my hoards of Bellett stuff.... somewhere.... and it has a very different dash and console layout to what was actually sold to the public too. i'll see what i can find.

this pic is from the FIA homologation papers for the very 1st prototype GT's, and lists the chassis number of the vehicle inspected as:
PR90-4200001.
all of the other FIA stuff i have here lists actual chassis numbers of the individual cars they inspected each time, so simply by the papers having chassis #1, this must be the GT #1.



as stated, there were 8 of these built as prototypes, and then were changed quite alot before public sale.
location of all of them now.... unknown....
would be awesome to replicate tho, being something very different!

cheers.

Hi Brett
With this info it may be possible to get a gt into prior 65 historic racing? do you have enough paper work to prove this? At this stage Rolie may be the first bellett to leave the orphanage as i have a few projects on the go. But i do have a gt shell to replace rolie's roll i mean role in the future. As i explained the repaires were only done to rolie to see wether he secured a place in the shed.
Greg