The Cony Guppy is a small pickup truck manufactured by

Aichi is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefecture ...

. The vehicle had

suicide doors A suicide door is an automobile door hinged at its rear rather than the front. Such doors were originally used on horse-drawn carriages, but are rarely found on modern vehicles, primarily because they are perceived as being less safe than a fro ...

and rotating amber beacons on the

B-pillar The pillars on a car with permanent roof body style (such as four-door Sedan (automobile), sedans) are the vertical or nearly vertical supports of its window area or Greenhouse (automotive), greenhouse—designated respectively as the ''A, B, ...

. The brake lights were tiny and circular. The engine, which rests behind the seats, is a two-valve, 199 cc single-cylinder unit that produces . It can power the vehicle to a top speed of . Aichi rated the Guppy's fuel economy at 50 km/L. They also claimed the Guppy could carry of cargo. Its low price of ¥225,000 made it attractive to small business owners and cargo transporters. Other features include a four-wheel independent suspension and a

torque converter A torque converter is a type of fluid coupling that transfers rotating power from a prime mover, like an internal combustion engine, to a rotating driven load. In a vehicle with an automatic transmission, the torque converter connects the power ...

for clutchless driving. Nissan donated 100 cars based on the Guppy to the Kodomo no Kuni Children's Park in

Hazu, Aichi was a town located in Hazu District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of May 1, 2004, the village had an estimated population of 12,351 and a population density of 474.13 persons per km². Its total area was 26.05 km². Isshiki was a coastal s ...

, in 1965. This was long after the Guppy had been taken out of production; Nissan built them from leftover parts acquired as a result of their gradual takeover of the Aichi company. Called the "Datsun Baby" they had a speed limiter, limiting top speed to . Otherwise they were mechanically identical to the Guppy, but with different bodywork.

Criticism

Author Tony Davis criticized the Guppy for being an unreliable car that failed to sell in its home country in the Motoring Hall of Shame in the book ''Extra Lemon!''.

References

{{Nissan Cars introduced in 1961 Cars of Japan Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles