Tough to Crack Car Puzzle #200

This is a 1962 Hino Contessa 900 Sprint. Made by Hino Motors, Ltd of Japan. Design by Michelotti. Developed from the ‘47-61 Renault 4CV Powertrain under license to Hino Motors. Two door coupe. Rear wheel drive and 0.9 liter rear engine, with 44 bhp, and 87 mph maximum speed. Drag time: 63 mph in 21 sec. or 0-60 mph in 18.2sec. Not too fast. Basically, a Renault Dauphine with a Michelotti-styled body, built by a Japanese company. Period adverts said: The subtlety of lines and contours promises ready speed, comfort and elegance.

This is a Hino Contessa 900 Sprint Coupé. Hino, from Tokyo, are better known for commercial vehicles but in 1953 they started building the Renault 4CV under licence. In 1961 a car of their own design was produced, the PC Series Contessa, a development of the earlier Renault models with its rear engine and swing axle rear suspension. The 1962 900 Sprint Coupé had Italian input, the body designed by Giovanni Michelotti and modifications from Officine Nardi to the 893cc engine (44hp as opposed to 33hp for the saloon) powering the lightweight car to a top speed of 87mph.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hino_Contessa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hino_Motors
http://www.automobiles-japonaises.com/Hino/Contessa900Sprint/Contessa900Sprint.php

I think it is a Moretti 850 based on the Fiat 850 .
The Moretti car company was based in Torino and visited them in the 80´s just before they shut down , and I was there with my Moretti 2500 SS 1964.

This is the Hino Contessa 900 Sprint, designed by Giovanni Michelotti and presented at the Tokyo Auto Show as well as the Turin Motor Show 1962. Based on the Contessa 900 PC-series, which had its roots in the license-built Hino Renault 4 CV (PA-series), it was built in small numbers until 1964. The engine gave 45 hp instead of the regular 35 due to Weber carburettors. The engine modification was done by Nardi who also supplied the steering wheel, of course. This and the 100 kg lighter body made this 2+2 coupe reach 140 km/h.

Sources:
Roger Gloor: Personenwagen der 60er Jahre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hino_Contessa

The car is a 1961 or 1962 Hino Contessa 900 sprint coupe.
Specs datasheet with technical data and performance data plus an analysis of the direct market competition of Hino Contessa 900 Sprint (man. 4) in 1962, the model with 2-door fastback coupe body and Line-4 836 cm3 / 50.9 cui engine size, 33 kW / 45 PS / 44 hp (max) for Japan concept . Specifications listing with the outside and inside dimensions, fuel economy, top speed, performance factory data and ProfessCars™ estimation: this Hino would accelerate 0-60 mph in 18.2 sec, 0-100 km/h in 19.8 sec and quarter mile time is 21 sec.

Dear postwarclassicians ,

here my solution:

This Hino Contessa 900 Sprint Coupe was presented at both the 10th Tokyo Auto Show and the 1962 Turin Motor Show, in 1963 at the New York Auto Show, but, however the english brochures had been printed, hélas, it remained a prototype.
Hino (from Tokyo) produced the Contessa PC Sedan, based on the Renault 4CV with a modified 35 hp-893 cm3 engine. The Michelotti-designed Sprint was 100kg lighter, had a ground-mounted 4-speed-shifter and benefited from a Nardi tuning with Weber double-carburetors and 45 hp, increasing the top speed of 110 km/to 140 km/h and 0-100 km/h in 19.8s.

Best regards from the Nahe-valley
fritz

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hino_Contessa
https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/hino/contessa_pc/contessa_pc_sprint/1962.html
https://autonatives.de/hino-contessa-900-sprint-unbekannte-schoenheit-aus-japan.html

The car is a Japanese Hino Contessa Coupé, 1964-67, rear engine and chassis details license Renault and patterned on the French maker's Dauphine model; styling by Michelotti.
The source: My "intelligence" of Japanese cars is - among others - due to a Floyd Clymer paperback publication on this subject.

The car shown in puzzle #200 is a 1962 Hino Contessa 900 Michelotti Sprint 2+2 Coupe. There were only one car made. It was based off of the PC-series Contessa, which was based off the Renault Dauphine. The car was shown at the 10th Tokyo Auto Show and the Turin Auto Show in 1962. It was also shown at the 1963 New York Auto Show. Claimed top speed was 87mph that came from a Nardi-tuned 45hp engine producing 5,000rpm with Weber carburetors. It survives today in its original green color at the Hino Auto Plaza in Japan.

Copié/Collé de "Antique broc de la tour:
La Hino Contessa, cette automobile ancienne fut construite de 1961 à 1970, cette Hino Contessa de 1961 mesure 1.48 mètres de large, 3.8 mètres de long, et a un empattement de 2.15 mètres.

1962 Hino Contessa 900 Sprint. Hino Contessa was based on Renault technology with rear engine, even though the engine was improved by Hino engineers. The 900 Sprint was designed by Michelotti, and the 836 cc engine was tuned by Nardi to 45 hp. The car also had a Nardi steering wheel. The curb weight was 650 kg, so the car was very agile.
The first Contessa (PC series 1961 - 1964) was never intended for export, but the Sprint was made for export, but none of the very few produces was ever sold outside Japan.

Best Regards
Verner Johnsen
Denmark

Links
https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/hino/contessa_pc/contessa_pc_sprint/1962.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hino_Contessa
https://viaretro.dk/2013/01/den-forste-sportslige-japaner-hino-contessa-900-sprint/

Hino Contessa 900 Sprint

Hi Folks,
this is a Hino Contessa 900.
The car manufacturer Hino, founded in 1942, is a japanese company which started with trucks and armoured cars .
Car production was started with a licensed Renault 4CV in 1953. (--> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hino_Motors)
The car from the picture was designed by Italian designer Michelotti and was produced from 1961-1963.
The car has a certain similarity to a VW prototype for the successor of type 14 Karmann Ghia which was shown in 1962 (--> https://www.autobild.de/klassik/bilder/karmann-ghia-sechs-jahrzehnte-kaefer-coupe-5574509.html#bild7 and https://www.autobild.de/klassik/bilder/karmann-ghia-sechs-jahrzehnte-kaefer-coupe-5574509.html#bild8 ) and the Brazilian built Karmann Ghia 145 TC, shown at the car-saloon Sao Paulo (1970) and produced vom 1970-1976 (--> http://www.karmann-ghia-archiv.de/historiearchivhistoriekarmannghiadobrasil.html)

Best regards
Christoph

It's a Hino Contessa Sprint, source is Wikipedia after my seeing a Hino Contessa saloon in the London Science museum. Rear water-cooled engine, based on the Renault 4CV.

This is a Hino Contessa Sprint, first shown at the 1962 Tokio Motor Show and same year Turin Motor Show, Michelotti styled bodwork,
4 cylinder rear, longitudinaly mounted , Renault inspired, 893 cm3 Nardi tuned Weber carburated, developping 45 hp, and with an announced top speed of 140 km/h, and with the water radiator mounted behind the engine . Weight was 650 kgs.

The hint made it to easy; Hino Contessa 900 Sprint; license Renault. There is a nice Wikipedia page on it:
the Michelotti-designed Contessa 900 Sprint Coupé. Aside from the stylish bodywork, the 100 kg lighter Sprint (650 kg or 1,430 lb) also benefitted from an Officine Nardi-tuned engine (and matching steering wheel) with Weber carburetors and 45 PS (33 kW; 44 hp).The Sprint was introduced at both the 10th Tokyo Auto Show, and the Turin Motor Show in 1962, and followed at the New York Auto Show in 1963. Top speed was claimed to be 140 km/h (87 mph). So that there would be no doubts about its provenance, the scuff plates at the bottom of the door apertures read "Hino-Michelotti". The Sprint had a floor-mounted shifter.