1969 Subaru 360 Super Deluxe
Sold primarily in Japan (with limited exports to the United States from 1968 to 1970), the Subaru 360 featured rear-hinged doors and a steel roof panel and weighed about 840 pounds (381 kg).
Bumper-mounted fog lights distinguished the Super Deluxe variant, which was introduced in December 1963 as the top-of-the-line version. Monocoque construction kept weight down while maintaining structural integrity for Japan’s kei car regulations.
A rear-mounted, air-cooled, two-stroke, two-cylinder engine of 356cc (21.7 cubic inches) produced 25 horsepower by 1969. The four-speed manual transmission sent power through a swing-axle rear suspension. Output had gradually increased from 16 horsepower when production began in 1958.
Nicknamed “ladybug” in Japan, the diminutive two-door city car measured 118 inches long and just 51 inches wide on a 71-inch wheelbase.
Developed in response to the Japanese government’s initiative for affordable “people’s cars” during the postwar period, it became Subaru’s first mass-produced automobile. Production reached approximately 392,000 examples before ending in 1970.
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