Cars - Subaru 360

Home > Listing Index > Cars > Subaru 360

	Cars - Subaru 360

The Subaru 360 was the first automobile mass produced by Fuji Heavy Industries' Subaru division. Production ran from 1958 to 1971.

The Subaru 360 featured an air-cooled, 2-stroke cycle engine of 356 cc capacity mounted transversely at the rear. The engine was designed with a capacity of less than 360 cc so that the Subaru 360 would qualify for Japan's Keicar class. The body was of monocoque construction and featured a fiberglass roof panel, which was considered very advanced in 1958.

When introduced in 1958, the Subaru 360's 356 cc engine turned out 16 hp and Subaru claimed 66 mpg fuel economy—by the end of production power had increased to 25 hp with a 36 hp twin carb engine was an option.

Several variants were produced, including a station wagon (called the Custom), a convertible, and two sports models known as the Young S, which had a slightly upgraded engine, bucket seats and a tachometer along with a black, white striped roof with a dent along the middle to put your surfboard. The Young SS, which had dual carburetors and chrome pistons, produced 36 horsepower (27 kW). From 1961 onward a truck and van called Sambar were also produced using the 360's engine. Many small businesses became very successful thanks to the pickup's small size for tight streets, quickness and ease to drive, and great fuel economy.

The Subaru was imported to the United States by Malcolm Bricklin, but the Subaru 360 received notoriety in 1969, when Consumer Reports magazine branded the automobile "Not Acceptable" (because of safety concerns and lack of power, this was before the fuel crisis.) and sales collapsed. There are various rumors of Subaru 360s "A shipment of 360's that were shredded at the pier.." "...a load of 360's before being unloaded off the ship were taken back out to sea and dumped overboard..." Also there are people that remember dealers selling as many as five for $2000, and a person that remembers a train car full of Subaru 360s selling for as little as $500 each. "..many stories of people buying a new 1970 Cadillac and getting a Subaru 360 thrown in as a bonus..." Another rumor is buying a new 1970 F-150 and getting a free Subaru 360 in the back. All are rumors, but are very plausible due to the cars failure in the United States Market.

The Subaru 360 was replaced by the less popular but more advanced R-2 which was quickly superseded by the long-lived Subaru Rex model.

The 360 is the original mass-production Subaru, and for many years the company searched for ways to capture the car's heritage in a new model. A string of city car concepts in the 1990s were tied to the 360 in various ways. In the Subaru Jusmin from the 1991 Tokyo Motor Show, this was simply a yellowish paint color reminiscent of the 360's. Later concept cars such as the 1997 Elten and 1999 Elten Custom proposed a modern remake of the 360. However, it's not until the Subaru R1's release in January 2005, that a production Subaru blatantly cites influence from the 360. The R1's Motor Show teaser, the R1e, wore a 360 Young-like yellow paint along with the small front grille.

360 360

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Subaru 360 ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Subaru 360; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Cars - Subaru 360

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay