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In 1964 the average motoring enthusiast would have been forgiven for overlooking the news that the Daihatsu Compagno was soon to be officially available in the UK. This was, after all, the year of the Sunbeam Tiger, the 4.2-litre Jaguars E-Type and Mk. X, the Austin 1800, the Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R and the Humber Imperial. Vauxhall had introduced their FC-Series Victor while Reliant had launched the Scimitar and, for those of lesser overdrafts, the Rebel.

And in comparison with these new British models, the Daihatsu appeared but a novelty to many drivers. Yet, a few readers of the automotive press were well aware that Japanese cars were already making inroads into European and Australian markets. Why should not very agreeable-looking Daihatsu stand at least a chance in the UK?

The Compagno made its bow in 1963 with power from a 797cc engine and smart Vignale-styled coachwork mounted on a separate chassis. The initial choices of bodywork comprised saloon, estate and van, joined in 1965 by the “Spider” drophead. British sales officially commenced in May of that year, imported by Dufay of Birmingham.

And so, a  PR car, CGH 8 B, received a fair amount of patronising attention from the motoring magazines of the day. Motor regarded the Compagno as ‘a dainty eyecatcher if you want to be different’. Autocar thought that ‘in the design of the suspension, engine, transmission and brakes, it follows very closely much that was popular and conventional on British cars some eight or 10 years ago’.

Despite such negative comments, The Birmingham Daily Post reported on Tuesday 1st June 1965 that ‘the first shipments arrived in London yesterday; another is expected on Friday, and 40-50 cars will be brought into Britain to begin with’. Furthermore, around 250 dealers had ‘applied for distribution facilities’. Alas, Dufay appears to have imported just eight vehicles, which was not a reflection on the Compagno’s abilities -  or indeed its essential appeal

This is not to suggest that any dealer would have a challenge-free experience. There was the issue of trying to sell any overseas car, especially one that hailed from Japan only two decades after the end of the Second World War. Equally problematic was the fact that the Daihatsu was not exactly cheap; at £799 it cost far more than a Triumph Herald 1200 or a Ford Anglia 123E Super.

Yet, the Compagno offered many advantages to the discerning motorist, for it was a very likeable machine. A four-speed steering column gear change was highly unusual on a small car, but the Daihatsu’s all-synchromesh transmission was a delight to operate. The styling looked rather chic and; the turning circle was just 29 feet - ideal for a town car. Best of all, the incredibly lavish specification included a clock, a cigarette lighter, whitewall tyres,  reclining front seats,  fog and reversing lamps and whitewall tyres.

This showroom appeal was further augmented by a heater with a three-speed fan, “trapdoor” fresh air vents mounted beneath the fascia, electric windscreen washers, and even a radio with a power antenna. The Compagno was definitely a car to induce envy in the neighbours  - once they had ceased the latest bout of curtain-twitching about your purchasing ‘one of those foreign cars’.

Production ended in 1970 and Daihatsu would not re-appear in the British car market until 1979. Today CGH 8 B resides at the headquarters of International Motors, as a reminder that with a more experienced importer, the Compagno might well have enjoyed a measure of success. That blue press demonstrator is also a harbinger of the future of Japanese vehicles in the UK for even that Autocar report noted: 

The Daihatsu does impress for quality of workmanship, and there are many who understandably attach great importance to this and prefer a car that is well made, even if outdated and of inferior design, to one which is technically superior but badly constructed.

And it was that build quality of work that proved the key to the success of so many imported vehicles.  As many a driver found out, technical innovation was of little worth when stranded by the side of the A27 in the rain.

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