Car Spot: Subaru 360

From the guy who brought you the Yogo and Bricklin SV-1

You can call Malcom Bricklin a lot of things, but one thing is for sure is an entrepreneur. Long before he dreamed up his Bricklin SV-1 he found a niche acquiring the rights to import the Subaru 360, this tiny kei car in 1968, and managed to sell 10,000 of them to unsuspecting Americans for $1297.

“Kei cars” are a unique class of small Japanese automobiles introduced in 1949 and designed to meet specific size and engine displacement regulations with a goal of stimulating car ownership by creating more affordable and accessible vehicles. They were small, compact, and cheap, making them popular for navigating crowded city streets and tight parking spaces in Japan. They are now being found by collectors in the US.

The thing that made this work was that it was several hundred bucks cheaper than a VW. The Subaru’s mini-bug looks might have fooled buyers into thinking they were getting a cheap Beetle, but there was a world of difference between the two. For one, the Subaru 360 was already pretty old by the time Bricklin sent it stateside. It first appeared in Japan back in 1958, only a few years after the kei car class was upped to a maximum of 360cc from 150cc. The Subaru 360 and the Suzuki Suzilight were two of the original vehicles of the class, given that Toyota and Nissan were pushed into the larger sizes by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

RELATED Spot: See another Kei spot I featured recently.

It’s hard to put the 360’s size in perspective except when it’s next to these golf carts and ATVs just outside the main gate at this year’s AirVenture. Its wheelbase is just 70.9”, only 117.7” long, and just 58” wide. It weighs just 900 pounds. Its 0-60 time could have been measured in weeks. Actually, it took around 54 seconds to get there, and because of that, Consumer Reports gave it an Unacceptable rating. You think!

Americans weren’t buying Subaru 360, so sales stunk, and some were seen on dealer lots for several years before they finally found owners. But while this car and other imports he took a stab at bombed it had given him exclusive import rights for Subaru. What saved Bricklin was Subaru’s highly advanced new car, the FWD Subaru 1000, that laid the foundation of all modern Subarus with its boxer four ahead of the front axle line. In 1984, Fuji finally bought Bricklin and his partner out for some very serious money. And he’s been trying to replay that success ever since.

What are they worth now? I’m not even going to go there. I bet 50 bucks and a case of Spotted Cow (out of towners love that Wisconsin beer because they can’t get it), and it would be yours.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out this week’s spot. I’ve got another weird one next week, too, so stop back. Have a great week.