1966 Hino Contessa 1300S

Although Hino Motors, Ltd. was primarily a manufacturer of commercial vehicles and diesel engines, they did produce a variety of automobiles. The Contessa, which translates to Countess in Italian, was offered in coupe and sedan body styles from 1961 through 1967. Featuring a rear engine and rear drive, it is powered by a 1,251 cubic centimeter four-cylinder engine backed by a four-speed manual transmission. Unlike most rear-engine, rear-drive automobiles of the period, Contessa's engine was water-cooled rather than air-cooled. It was developed from the 1947-1961 Renault 4CV powertrain under license to Hino Motors.

The coupe version of the Contessa was introduced in April 1965. Featuring an upgraded engine with twin Solex side draft carburetors and slightly higher compression, it offers impressive performance. The Hino Contessa replaced the Hino Renault which was the Renault 4CV manufactured by Hino for Japan. The second-generation Contessa was introduced in September 1964 with a coupe designed by Giovanni Michelotti.

This particular example is the sport version marketed as the '1300 S.' Many see similarities between the Contessa and the Chevrolet Corvair, and although both share the rear engine, the Corvair is air-cooled while the Contessa is water-cooled. This generation of the Contessa was also exported to Australia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. With hopes to import these cars to the United States, Hino recruited Peter Brock and his BRE team to enter two cars in the 1966 Timex Grand Prix in Los Angeles. Much to the amazement of the competition, Brock and his team were victorious.