Block-mounted starters came along in the mid-70's, I believe. The earlier ones had a 3-bolt flange mount that bolted to the bellhousing.
The mini-starters are Japanese-made, and they use a planetary gear reduction to let the motor armature run at higher speed than a direct drive starter. They sound funny, but they do a pretty good job of cranking the engine. I don't think I've ever seen one that has a bellhousing mount, but there's no reason it couldn't be set up that way.
Jerry
