The Subaru 360 is a rear-engined, two-door city car manufactured and marketed by Subaru from 1958 to 1971. As the company's first mass-produced automobile, production reached 392,000 over its 12-year model run.
Noted for its small overall size, 1,000 lb curb weight, monocoque construction, swing axle rear suspension, fiberglass roof panel, and rear-hinged doors, the inexpensive car was designed in response to the Japanese government's light car or Kei car regulations and its proposal for a larger "national car," both intended to help motorize the post WWII Japanese population. The 360's overall size and engine capacity complied with Japan's Kei car regulations.
Nicknamed the "ladybug" in Japan, and ultimately superseded by R-2, the 360 was one of Japan's most popular cars and was available in a single generation in two-door, station wagon ("Custom"), "convertible" (a sedan with a roll-back fabric roof) and sporting variants. The two-door sedans' model code is K111, while the wagon is known as K142. Ten thousand were sold in the United States, imported by Malcolm Bricklin and advertised as "Cheap and Ugly."[3]
The nameplate 360 derived from its tax-limited engine displacement: 356 cc.
^New Subaru, The Autocar, 4 November 1960, page 821
^"Subaru History". Subaru Global. Subaru Corporation. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
^Preston, Benjamin (January 30, 2014). "What Would You Do With Eight Tiny Subarus?". The New York Times.
The Subaru360 is a rear-engined, two-door city car manufactured and marketed by Subaru from 1958 to 1971. As the company's first mass-produced automobile...
used the air-cooled engine from the Subaru360 and later generations used the water-cooled engine from the Subaru Rex, Vivio and the Pleo. Four-wheel...
Subaru (スバル, /ˈsuːbəruː/ or /sʊˈbɑːruː/; Japanese pronunciation: [ˈsɯbaɾɯ]) is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate...
Previous Subaru models such as the Subaru360 and the Sambar had been rear-engined, rear-wheel drive kei cars. It was the first production Subaru to use...
for the Subaru R-2, which was itself the replacement for the long lived, but outdated Subaru360. Because the R-2 was based largely on the 360, originally...
The Subaru Impreza (Japanese: スバル・インプレッサ, Hepburn: Subaru Inpuressa) is a compact car that has been manufactured by the Japanese automaker Subaru since...
Roewe 360, a Chinese compact sedan Subaru360, a Japanese kei car Volvo 360, a Swedish compact car .360 Buckhammer, a centerfire rifle cartridge 360 deal...
Subaru has designed, assembled and/or sold the following vehicles: 360/460 (1958–1971) 1000 (1966–1969) 1500 (1954) Alcyone/SVX (1991–1996) Baja (2003–2006)...
this was the only vehicle sold internationally by Subaru where the smaller kei cars Rex, Vivio, R-2, 360, and Sambar were not commonly sold. As a result...
frequently compared to the Subaru360, the first production Subaru automobile. The R1 is the base car for the following vehicles: The Subaru R1e, an experimental...
following years. These included the 1955 Suzuki Suzulight and the 1958 Subaru360 (considered the first truly mass-produced kei cars), which were finally...
speed in older cars. In 1969, Consumer Reports reported this problem on a Subaru360. If a person not wearing a seat belt falls out of a moving car with a...
expensive car in its class, at ¥398,000. Meanwhile, the Subaru360 Commercial cost ¥365,000 and a Cony 360 Truck a mere ¥330,000. On 26 November 1959, Typhoon...
the Subarus as racing cars. Urban legends persist that unsold 360s were either crushed or pushed into the ocean. Despite the 360's failure, Subaru of America...
Mitsubishi Colt 800 was the first post-war Japanese fastback, and the 1958 Subaru360 was the first kei fastback. The Prince Skyline 1900 Sprint was developed...
aircraft/automotive engineer. He is famous for the development of the Subaru360, the Subaru Sambar and the Subaru 1000 series. February 20, 1919 – Born in Shiojiri, Nagano...
called the "Suzulight Sports 360", was a reaction to the success of the rear-engined Subaru360 and had a unique 360 cc two-cylinder engine. Even earlier...
two-stroke in-line twin-engined generation of the 360 cc Keicar class - the 1958 Subaru360, Mitsubishi 360 1961, Mazda Carol 1962, Daihatsu Fellow 1966,...
25 June 2014. "Subaru of America, Inc. FAQ". Archived from the original on 2016-08-23. Retrieved 2016-06-20. A Brief History of Subaru Nurul Fatini Jaafar...
Rabbit is a motor scooter produced in Japan by Fuji Heavy Industries (now Subaru Corporation) from 1946 through 1968. The Society of Automotive Engineers...
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