The Hino Super Dolphin was Hino’s heavy truck of the 1980s, launched in 1981 as the replacement for the KF and ZM series. It brought the high-roof cab to Japanese heavy trucks and was replaced in 1992 by the Super Dolphin Profia, the truck now sold as the Profia.
Hino Super Dolphin at a glance
| Maker | Hino Motors |
|---|---|
| Production | 1981–1992 |
| Name official | from 1983; at launch the truck was advertised simply as the Hino heavy truck |
| Predecessor | Hino KF and ZM series |
| Successor | Super Dolphin Profia, 1992 |
| Rigid model codes | K-F series, starting with F |
| Tractor model codes | K-S series, starting with S |
| 1981 engines | V10 EV700 415 PS; V8 EF550 300 PS and EF750 330 PS; straight-six EK100 270 PS; EP100 285 PS |
| Notable | first high-roof cab in a Japanese heavy truck; Japan’s first intercooler turbo in the class |
| Facelifts | seven during the 1980s, the last in 1990 |
The Super Dolphin is described in detail on the Japanese Wikipedia page for the model; this page is based on that article, with the English article on the Profia used only for the successor. There are no free photographs of this model on Wikimedia Commons, so the record keeps its earlier cover image.
History of the Hino Super Dolphin
Launch (1981)
The Super Dolphin went on sale in May 1981 in place of the KF and ZM series. At first the name was not official; the advertising of 1981 called the truck simply the Hino heavy truck, and the dolphin name only became official in 1983. The whole model system was renewed, with rigid trucks coded F and semi-tractors coded S, a scheme the Profia still uses. Early cars had four round headlamps shared with the Ranger, while tractors wore the large trailer grille inherited from the HE and HH trucks. Engines ranged from a 270 PS straight-six to a 415 PS V10, and the EP100 straight-six was Japan’s first intercooler-turbocharged engine in the class. The cab was, in effect, a large version of the Ranger’s, and it was the first heavy truck in Japan to offer a high-roof cab.
Facelifts of the 1980s
The 1983 update brought four rectangular headlamps and the louvred grille known as the shutter grille. 1985 brought the honeycomb grille of square openings, the F17C V8 of 360 PS and the K13C straight-six of 330 PS, and the model-code emblem was replaced by a sticker. In 1987 the tractors followed the rigids, with the V10 replaced by the V21C of 390 PS and V22C of 420 PS. The 1990 update met the new emission rules with the inverted-trapezoid grille nicknamed the oni grille, and the engine codes changed from two digits to a digit and a letter.
Into the Profia
The range covered rigid trucks from 4×2 to 8×4, including the low-floor FW and the FZ and FU snow ploughs, and semi-tractors SH and SS, plus a 30-tonne yard shunter coded WP. In May 1992 the truck was replaced by a model that carried the Profia sub-name, which in 2003 became the model’s only name.
Design and features
- High-roof cab: the first such cab on a Japanese heavy truck.
- Wide engine range: straight-sixes up to a 415 PS V10 at launch.
- Intercooler turbo: the EP100 was Japan’s first in the class.
- Model-code badges: the grille emblem showed the chassis code and engine, for example SH63 for a 330 PS tractor.
Hino Super Dolphin versions
- Rigid trucks: FH 4×2, FR and FP 6×2, FN 6x2F, FS 6×4, FQ low-floor 6×4, FW low-floor 8×4.
- Snow ploughs: FZ 4×4 and FU 6×6 chassis.
- Semi-tractors: SH 4×2 and SS 6×4 with the trailer grille.
- Special chassis: GN tanker chassis and the WP 30-tonne yard shunter.
The Super Dolphin became the Hino Profia in 1992, and its cab themes carried into the medium Hino Ranger. All models are in the Hino collection.
Sources
- 日野・スーパードルフィン, Japanese Wikipedia: launch, facelifts, engines, model codes
- Hino Profia, English Wikipedia: place in the heavy truck line, successor
