Ladybuggin: 1969 Subaru 360 Micro Car
Billionaire investor/car guy/Yugo lover Malcom Bricklin first started importing the Subaru 360 in 1968, where he sold them for a starting price of $1,297. US importation of the 360 ended in 1969, shortly after the muckrakers at Consumer Reports labeled the lightweight as “Not Acceptable” due to safety concerns. Find this 1969 Subaru 360 Micro Car bidding here on eBay
bidding for $4,888 with a few hours to go, located in Reading, PA.
This 360 is advertised as being sitting in storage since 1979, and the paint and chrome appears as first glance to be decent. However, closer inspection reveals rust in about every place you could get rust — not frame eaten salt rust, more like the entire car was stored in a sauna.
The Subaru 360 was the first mass produced vehicle from Fuji Heavy
Industries and was named for its 360cc twin-cylinder 2-stroke engine
mounted behind the rear wheels. The engine mounted out back makes an even 36 horsepower…for a healthy 2-stroke power density
of 100 horsepower per liter. Reports peg the 360 fuel economy at around
50 mpg, and given the performance we are likely to believe it.
See another suicide door equipped oddity? tips@dailyturismo.com
Big dog harley swap anyone?
Wow, that would be more horsepower than my 602 cc Citroen 2CV. This thing would be a rocket ship! Seriously, the EBay listing says 25 bhp, not 36. Wiki says there was an optional 423cc twin-carb engine that gave the 36 bhp that DT mentioned.
That under-body shot looks like serious rust to my jaded Northern Salt Belt eyes.
Anyway, I see it traded hands for $4888.
Malcolm Brinklin ain't no billionaire. Far from it. Only a billionaire in one of his many wild dreams gone bust.