Daihatsu Compagno

Last updated
Daihatsu Compagno
1965 Daihatsu Compagno-Spider 01.jpg
1965 Daihatsu Compagno Spider
Overview
Manufacturer Daihatsu
Production19631970
AssemblyIkeda Plant 2, Osaka, Japan
Designer Vignale
Body and chassis
Class compact
Body style
Layout Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase
  • 2,220 mm (87.4 in)
  • 2,280 mm (89.8 in) - 4-door sedan
Length3,800 mm (149.6 in)
Width1,425 mm (56.1 in)
Height1,430 mm (56.3 in)
Curb weight 765 kg (1,687 lb)
Chronology
Successor Daihatsu Consorte

The Daihatsu Compagno is an automobile which was produced by Daihatsu in Japan from 1963 to 1970. The name comes from the Italian word for "partner." The Compagno was designed to be offered in multiple bodystyles, and was introduced prior to the acquisition of Daihatsu by Toyota in 1967. The Compagno was available as a two-door sedan, four-door sedan, two-door pickup truck, a three-door delivery van and a convertible. The first Compagno prototype was shown at the 1961 Tokyo Motor Show and was of an appearance reminiscent of the Fiat 1800/2100. This was not a very well balanced design and Vignale's production version ended up looking quite different. The Compagno used a ladder-type chassis instead of the more modern monocoque style, with torsion bar wishbone suspension at the front and semi-elliptical leaf springs for the rear axle. The Compagno is also the first Daihatsu car to use the famous "D" logo.

Contents

History

120,000 Daihatsu Compagnos were produced between 1963 and 1970. The first model introduced, in April 1963, was the Compagno Light Van light commercial vehicle (F30V). It was available in Standard or Deluxe trim. Two months later the Compagno Wagon (F30) followed, a pricier and more comfortable and passenger oriented version. This cost over twenty per cent more than the Standard Light Van and was Daihatsu's first four-wheeled passenger car. In November 1963 the Japanese-designed two-door saloon appeared, called "Berlina" and with the F40 chassis code. This was available in either Standard and Deluxe trim, priced close to their Light Van and Wagon counterparts. The Deluxe had an Italianate dashboard, reflecting Vignale's input, complete with three-spoke Nardi steering wheel.

To celebrate the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Daihatsu used a Consorte in a PR stunt, driving the 18,000 km (11,000 mi) from the Olympic flame in Olympia, Greece to Tokyo in a little over three months. [1]

In April 1965 the Compagno Spider appeared, introducing the larger and more powerful 1000 engine. The engine displacement was initially kept below one liter to price the car in the lowest road tax bracket for Japanese buyers. The Spider received a twin-carb unit producing 65 PS (48 kW). One month later the larger engine was also installed in the Berlina, and a new four-door model (only with the bigger engine) was added. The four-door model sits on a 60 mm (2.4 in) longer wheelbase. 1000 Berlinas have a single carburettor and produce 55 PS (40 kW). In October 1965 the F31P Compagno Truck appeared, a small pickup truck capable of loading 500 kg (1,102 lb). The 800 cc engine gradually became installed only in the lesser variants as the 1000 cc segment gained in popularity in Japan. In November the Compagno 1000 GT appeared, a Berlina two-door with the more powerful Spider engine. In April 1967 a two-speed automatic transmission became available.

In May 1967 the Compagno received a minor facelift, with new head- and taillights and a new grille. The fender pressings were also subtly altered so as to streamline production. A Super Deluxe version of the four-door was added, while the Spider and GT gained front disc brakes. Last amongst the news was the 1000 GT Injection, with mechanical fuel injection albeit no more power than the existing twin-carb version. In April 1968 the front grille was altered again, with black trim for the Spider and GT. The Super Deluxe gained chrome trim at the rear. In April 1969 the succeeding Daihatsu Consorte appeared, using Daihatsu's own 1.0-litre engine fitted in the Toyota Publica KP30 body. Daihatsu decided to depend on Toyota for designing compact cars from now on. The Consorte was initially only available as a two-door sedan, and while the Van, Truck, and Convertibles were not replaced the four-door Super Deluxe remained in production until January 1970 so as to meet existing orders.

Notably, the Compagno was the first official Japanese car import for the UK market. Arriving in 1965 in its initial 797cc form, UK press such as Autocar magazine found the car to be quite lackluster compared to its competition. Aside from the build quality and good standard equipment, the magazine review noted its outdated styling, poor ride and brakes, high price, and a 0-60 time that was quoted as being "too slow to record." In the end, only six Compagnos would be sold in the UK in its five years on the market. Nonetheless, the Compagno would eventually inspire other Japanese automakers to begin exporting their products to European markets, such as the 1966 Corona from Toyota and the 1968 Sunny from Nissan (which would be known as the Datsun 1000).

Models

Maximum speed was around 110 km/h (68 mph) for the 800 cc model, 130 to 145 km/h (81 to 90 mph) for 1000 cc models. Late Spiders and GTs have a fuel injected engine.

It went on sale in the United Kingdom in May 1965 as the first Japanese car to be sold there. [2] [3] It was also sold in numerous other European markets. In Australia it was marketed until import tariffs were changed in 1968, which would have made the car prohibitively expensive. [4] Daihatsu returned to the Australian passenger car market in 1972 with the Max 360X.

DN Compagno Concept

The DN Compagno is a concept car that was shown at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show along with the original Compagno. According to Daihatsu, the design was aimed at "active seniors" and prioritized the relaxing comfort of the two front seats, combined with a high-quality interior. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mazda Familia</span> Motor vehicle

The Mazda Familia, also marketed prominently as the Mazda 323, Mazda Protegé and Mazda Allegro, is a small family car that was manufactured by Mazda between 1963 and 2003. The Familia line was replaced by the Mazda3/Axela for 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Corona</span> Series of automobiles manufactured by Toyota

The Toyota Corona is an automobile manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota across eleven generations between 1957 and 2001. On launch, the Corona was Toyota's next to highest product in their range, just below the Crown. The Corona was marketed in the JDM at Toyota's Toyopet Store dealership channels, and the Corona was one of Toyota's first models exported to other global markets, followed by the smaller Toyota Corolla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daihatsu Charade</span> Motor vehicle

The Daihatsu Charade is a supermini car produced by the Japanese manufacturer Daihatsu from 1977 to 2000. It is considered by Daihatsu as a "large compact" or "supermini" car, to differentiate it from the smaller kei car compacts in its line-up, such as the Daihatsu Mira. In Japan, it offers buyers more interior space and a larger engine that allows for the car to also be used outside of urban areas. It replaced the Daihatsu Consorte, although the Charmant took over from the bigger-engined Consortes, and didn't share a platform with a Toyota product.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daihatsu Fellow Max</span> Motor vehicle

The Daihatsu Fellow Max is a small Japanese automobile in the Kei car class. Originally introduced as the Daihatsu Fellow, the name was partially retained for the Max Cuore (1977) and then again for the 2000 Daihatsu Max.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daihatsu Charmant</span> Motor vehicle

The Daihatsu Charmant is a subcompact sedan built by Daihatsu of Japan, based on the Toyota Corolla. It was succeeded by the Daihatsu Applause two years after Charmant production ended. The Charmant was heavily based on the E20 Toyota Corolla; model changes paralleled those of the Corolla. All Charmants were fitted with Toyota inline-four engines, ranging from 1.2 to 1.6 litres. The word charmant is French for "charming."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsubishi Minica</span> Motor vehicle

The Mitsubishi Minica is a kei car produced by Mitsubishi Motors mainly for the Japanese domestic market from 1962 to 2011. It was first built by Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, one of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' three regional automotive companies until they were merged in 1964, and as such predates MMC itself. In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called Galant Shop. In 2007 and 2011, the car was replaced with the Mitsubishi eK and the Mitsubishi i.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Carina</span> Motor vehicle

The Toyota Carina is an automobile which was manufactured by Toyota from December 1970 to December 2001. It was introduced as a sedan counterpart of the Celica, with which it originally shared a platform. Later, it was realigned to the Corona platform, but retained its performance image, with distinctive bodywork and interior — aimed at the youth market and remaining exclusive to Japanese Toyota dealerships Toyota Store. It was replaced in Japan by the Toyota Allion in 2001 and succeeded in Europe by the Toyota Avensis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daihatsu Consorte</span> Motor vehicle

The Daihatsu Consorte is a small sedan sold by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu from 1969 to 1977. It was based on the Toyota Publica, and its name, meaning "consort" in Italian, reflected Daihatsu's newly established affiliation with Toyota. It replaced the Compagno as Daihatsu's passenger vehicle. The Consorte was derived from Toyota's Publica and was sold at a newly established Japanese dealership network intended to exclusively sell the Publica. This was called Toyota Publica Store until 1966 when it was renamed Toyota Corolla Store to sell the all-new Toyota Corolla. This arrangement allowed Toyota to sell the Publica at recently acquired Daihatsu dealerships, giving Daihatsu a car larger than kei class cars. The Consorte used a Daihatsu developed engine, while the Publica used a two-cylinder, air-cooled, flat-2 U engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daihatsu Hijet</span> Kei truck/microvan produced by Daihatsu

The Daihatsu Hijet is a cab over microvan and kei truck produced and sold by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu since 1960. Despite the similarities between the Hijet name and Toyota's naming scheme for its trucks and vans, the name "Hijet" has been in use for Daihatsu's kei trucks and microvans since 1960, over two decades before Toyota took control. "Hijet", when transliterated into Japanese, is very similar to "Midget", one of Daihatsu's other mini-trucks. According to Daihatsu, the name "Hijet" was created to imply that the vehicle offers higher performance than the Midget. The Hijet competes in Japan with the Honda Acty, Mitsubishi Minicab, Nissan Clipper, Subaru Sambar and Suzuki Carry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokyo Motor Show</span> Biennial auto show in Tokyo, Japan

The Tokyo Motor Show (東京モーターショー) is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recognized international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles, and normally sees more concept cars than actual production car introductions which is the reason why the auto press see the show as one of the motorshow's big five.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subaru Sambar</span> Motor vehicle

The Subaru Sambar is a cabover truck and microvan manufactured and marketed by Subaru as Japan's first truck compliant with the country's strict Keitora (軽トラ) or Kei vehicle tax class. Introduced in 1961 in microvan and Kei pickup configurations, the Sambar remains in production, now in its eighth generation — beginning with the sixth generation as a rebadged Daihatsu Hijet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Publica</span> Motor vehicle

The Toyota Publica is a small car manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota from 1961 until 1978. Conceived as a family car to fulfill the requirements of the Japanese Government's "national car concept", it was the smallest Toyota car during that period and was superseded in that role by the Toyota Starlet, which itself started out as a version of the Publica. It was available as a 2-door vehicle only, but in a selection of body styles, ranging from the base sedan through a station wagon, convertible, coupé and even a coupe utility (pickup), which outlived the other models by a decade, and spawned other models, such as the Toyota Sports 800 and the Toyota MiniAce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota LiteAce</span> Car model

The Toyota LiteAce and TownAce are a line of light commercial and derivative passenger vans produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Toyota. These vehicles originally utilized the cab-over-engine configuration, although since 1996 a semi-cab-over arrangement has featured instead. The LiteAce launched in 1970 as light-duty truck, with commercial and van/wagon body variants added in 1971. In 1976, Toyota released the larger TownAce van/wagon that derived from the LiteAce; a TownAce truck arrived later in 1978. Between 1982 and 1992, the series accommodated the MasterAce Surf—an upscale TownAce passenger wagon.

The Mitsubishi Colt (A20) was one of their first series of passenger cars produced by Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, Ltd, one of the companies which would become Mitsubishi Motors. Built from 1963 until 1970, they were available in four body styles and on two different wheelbases, with gradually increasing engine displacements 1000, 1100, 1200, and 1500. After a May 1968 facelift, they were marketed as the "New Colt". Along with the smaller, fastback Colts they formed the mainstay of Mitsubishi's passenger car lineup in the 1960s. With the late 1969 introduction of the new, larger Colt Galant, the outmoded Colt-series soon faded away, eventually replaced by the smaller Mitsubishi Lancer as well. The dimensions were kept small so as to provide Japanese buyers the ability to purchase a car that complied with the Japanese Government compact car dimension regulations and to keep the annual road tax obligation affordable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Corolla (E10)</span> Motor vehicle

The Corolla E10 was the first generation of cars sold by Toyota under the Corolla name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Corolla (E20)</span> Motor vehicle

The Corolla E20 was the second generation of cars sold by Toyota under the Corolla nameplate. Launched in May 1970, it featured "coke bottle styling" and had a longer 2,335 mm (91.9 in) wheelbase. The front suspension design was improved greatly, using a swaybar, however the rear remained relatively similar. The Corolla became the second-best selling car in the world that year. Grades for sedan were Standard, Deluxe, and Hi-Deluxe. The coupé was offered in Deluxe, SL, SR, and Levin trim levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Corolla (E30)</span> Motor vehicle

The Corolla E30/E50 was the third generation of cars sold by Toyota under the Corolla nameplate. It was built from August 1974 to July 1981 and marked Toyota's greatest growth in the United States in the wake of the fuel crisis. In addition to its sister model, the Sprinter, there was a redesigned-body version built by Toyota affiliate Daihatsu, called the Daihatsu Charmant. While there were certain fourth-generation models with a longer model life, this generation, when considered as a whole, was the longest-lived one, possibly due to the worldwide recession in the 1970s. A large range of cars was built using this chassis, including Corollas, Sprinters, Daihatsu, and the sporty Levin and Trueno models with the DOHC motor, with a fuel injection upgrade added to Japanese Levin models in January 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Corolla (E70)</span> Motor vehicle

The Corolla E70 was the fourth generation of cars sold by Toyota under the Corolla nameplate.

The Daihatsu Hi-Line/F series is a series of compact trucks, manufactured and sold from 1960 to 1972. This truck series was competed with Toyota Stout, Nissan Junior, Hino Briska or Mazda B series.

References

  1. Kießler, Bernd-Wilfried (1992), Daihatsu Automobile: Erfahrung für die Zukunft[Daihatsu Automobiles: Experience for the Future] (in German), Südwest, p. 34, ISBN   9783517012254
  2. Kießler, p. 33
  3. "Review: Daihatsu Sirion 1.3 SE". Autocar.co.uk. Haymarket Media Group. 2005-04-26. Archived from the original on 2012-04-03.
  4. Brown, Robin, ed. (13 July 1971). "Daihatsu will return to car field". The Canberra Times . Canberra. p. 13. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  5. Tan, Danny (2017-10-25). "Tokyo 2017: Daihatsu DN Compagno with the original". Paultan.org. Driven Communications Sdn Bhd. Archived from the original on 2018-07-20.