Hino’s Artistic Masterpiece: The Legendary “Contessa Sprint” [Part 1]

2026年1月9日 2026年1月9日たかの

This time, we’re thrilled to introduce a very special car entrusted to us by Hino Auto Plaza.
Honestly, this is such an honor—and the perfect opportunity to kick off a special series featuring Hino Auto Plaza! ✌️
The order of topics might jump around a bit, so bear with us. (Don’t worry, the 2000GT series will continue too!)

And here it is—the Hino Contessa 900 Sprint has arrived!
To be honest, I (Nomura) haven’t had much hands-on experience with Hino’s passenger cars. Maybe just the “Hino Renault.”
You don’t see many of these on the streets… maybe that’s because we’re in Aichi?
So yeah, I’ve been really looking forward to this one.

Let’s start with a quick intro to the car.
Here it is—the Contessa 900S. Last time I saw one was in Gunma!

Those stickers all over the body? That’s from the initial scratch check right after arrival. (We’ll peel them off later.)
Wow… what a beauty! It doesn’t even feel like a typical Japanese car.
According to Hino’s official data, this is from 1962, and the body design was done by none other than Giovanni Michelotti. Absolutely breathtaking.
Sadly, it never made it to mass production, but it must have made quite an impact back then.

Based on the original Hino Contessa 900, it’s fitted with the same GP20 engine as the 900 sedan (893cc, according to the specs).
The rear design definitely carries that Contessa vibe.

A sleek, flowing silhouette.

Distinctive air inlets that actually channel air straight to the radiator up front.

On the quarter panel, you’ll find Michelotti’s signature: “BODY BY G. MICHELOTTI.”

On the rear engine hood, it proudly reads “Contessa 900 Sprint.”

That’s the classic Hino badge you used to see on the front of their trucks back in the day.

Under “HINO,” it even says “ヒノ” in Japanese. You don’t see that very often!
Maybe they were really aiming to catch the attention of overseas markets?

The interior of the 900 Sprint? With its left-hand drive, it hardly feels like a Japanese car at all.
The design is pure Italian flair. If this had been sold in Japan as-is, it would’ve been a game-changer.
And remember—this was before the TOYOTA 2000GT!

So, here’s the engine!

When you think of the Contessa, the standout feature is its RR layout—rear engine, rear drive.
In a broad sense, it shares the same concept as Porsche or Karmann Ghia.

Since this is a prototype, it doesn’t have a sports carburetor.
And as you’d expect from a prototype, you can spot some rough craftsmanship here and there.
That’s the charm of a test model—it really makes you feel the history.

Our plan is to bring this Sprint 900 back to a drivable condition (though we won’t be pushing it too hard).
Just imagine how amazing it’ll feel when this beauty hits the road!
So, starting next time—we dive into the restoration work.

★ Our Restoration Team Is on Instagram! ★