[1] With an 893 cc version of the Renault-based GP engine, max power is 35 PS (26 kW; 35 hp) which provides a top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph).
[2] The first Contessa originally received a three-speed column mounted shifter, later a four-speed manual became optional, utilizing an electromagnetic clutch apparatus called Shinko-Hinomatic.
The gear change came in for a certain amount of criticism, a result of its long and cumbersome linkage from the steering column to the rear-mounted transmission.
So that there would be no doubts about its provenance, the scuff plates at the bottom of the door apertures read "Hino-Michelotti".
While considerably longer and heavier, the PD Contessa also had a much more powerful 1,251 cc four-cylinder engine with five main bearings ("GR100", 55 PS or 40 kW or 54 hp).
There was also an LPG-powered version in Standard or Deluxe trim; in this specification the engine produces 52 PS (38 kW) at 5000 rpm.
Early Standard versions did not receive bumper horns and were fitted with single front headlamps with blanks where the second set would have gone.
[5] While series production ground to a halt in March 1967 following Hino's strategic alliance with Toyota in late 1966, assembly of existing shells and parts continued at a slow pace into the summer of 1968, with ever-higher Toyota parts content.
[2] A bored out 1.5 litre version of the GR100 engine was developed in 1966, but after the strategic alliance with Toyota the project was shelved.
These were built with thinner sheet metal and missing some equipment, such as hubcaps and sound deadening.
After Hino was purchased by Toyota, the contract was terminated and the very last Israeli Contessas rolled off the assembly line in March 1968.