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SUBARU STAR-ff1(1968-1971) EVERYTHING (photos,infos,etc)


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The secret of excellent hill climbing capacity

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The hill climbing capacity is not only due to the engine performance but it is also the result of clever car body weight distribution. Generally, when comparing FWD, RWD and rear engine rear drive vehicles, FWD vehicles are regarded as having inferior hill climbing ability. This is due to the fact that because the vehicle weight is concentrated towards the rear on slopes, the front wheels tend to float and the driving force decreases. In order to overcome this, in the Subaru 1000, the engine has been boldly brought to the front of the vehicle and placed over the axles in front of gearbox. Also, the spare tire is housed inside the engine compartment, enabling a front to rear vehicle weight ratio of 6 to 4 to be obtained, and an ideal weight ratio of 58% on the front wheels is secured even when the car carries its full capacity of passengers. It is generally recognized that, if a weight ratio of around 60 percent is placed on the front wheels, there is hardly any danger of slipping on wet and slippery uphill slopes.

(Source: Subaru magazine Vol. 38 (issued January 1, 1967))

 

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Constant velocity joint

 

 

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Being an FWD vehicle, the Subaru 1000 has drive shafts at the front and both ends of these are connected by constant velocity joints. 

The constant velocity joint comprises a CVJ (Constant Velocity Joint) on the wheel side and a telescopic DOJ (Double Offset Joint) on the differential side. This use of two constant velocity joints basically resolves the issue of unpleasant vibrations that occur during turning and acceleration when using a cross-shaped joint. 

Features of the two constant velocity joints are as follows: 

  • ・The constant velocity joint does not have the bend moment act on the shaft as in the case of a cross-shaped joint; it is compact; moreover, because it has no imbalance, it has little vibration and can run quietly. 
  • ・Because the ball conducts smooth rolling movement, it entails hardly any loss. 
  • ・Because the joint is sealed, there is no need for greasing. 

(Note) The Subaru 1000 was the world’s first mass produced car to adopt drive shafts based on combination of this DOJ and CVJ.

 

(Source: Extracted from the Subaru 1000 Sales Sheet 1966-1) 

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Subaru 1000 – Characteristics as an FWD Car

 

 

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Center pivot steering system

 The Subaru 1000 adopts the center pivot steering system whereby the brake drums are separated from wheels and the kingpin axis line is aligned with the tire centerline.
 When the brakes are located inside the wheels as in commonly adopted steering systems, it is difficult to insert the kingpin into the wheel and it is impossible to align the tire centerline with the kingpin axis line.

[Features of the center pivot steering system]
- Tire friction with the ground surface is minimized and steering effort during low speed driving is lightened. 
- Weight under the spring is mitigated, ground contact of the tire is improved and better performance is realized in terms of ride quality and running stability because road impacts are not so quickly transmitted to the handle.
- Since a larger steering angle can be secured even in the same size tire house, it is possible to reduce the turning radius.

(Note) Because an aluminum alloy front brake drum equipped with numerous fins is adopted, this provides excellent cooling effect

(Source: Extracted from the Subaru 1000 Sales Sheet 1966-1)

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Distinct Engineering Mounted into the Subaru 1000

 

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Brakes

The Subaru 1000 uses highly effective duo servo brakes on the front and stable leading-trailing brakes on the rear. Since the braking balance of the front and rear brakes is appropriately set, braking is certain and safe. Moreover, both the front and rear brakes are the automatic adjusting type.

Parking brake is a hand operated brake acting on front wheels.

[inboard brakes]

Revolutionary inboard type brakes are adopted as the front brakes in the Subaru 1000. The so-called center pivot steering system is adopted whereby the brake drums are separated from wheels and the kingpin axis line is aligned with the tire centerline. 

Inboard brakes have the following features:

1. Through adopting the center pivot steering system, tire resistance on the ground surface is minimized and steering reaction is mitigated.
2. At the same time, a large steering angle of the handle can be secured.
3. Weight under the spring is mitigated, ground contact of the tire is improved and better performance is realized in terms of acceleration, ride quality and driving stability.
4. Because the brakes are separated from the wheels, it is difficult for mud and water to infiltrate.

Also, because an aluminum alloy front brake drum equipped with numerous fins is adopted, this provides excellent cooling effect.

(Source: “Subaru” magazine – Subaru 1000 extra edition (issued May 20, 1966))

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Distinct Engineering Mounted into the Subaru 1000(Revolutionary Cooling system)

 

 

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Dual Radiator

The Subaru 1000 became the first domestic car to adopt a unique dual radiator cooling device in its engine.
Unlike generally adopted cooling systems, the dual radiator has no cooling fan in the main radiator, but its mechanism is composed of the main radiator, sub-radiator, reserve tank and small motor fan for the sub-radiator. 

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[Operation of the dual radiator]

  1. During startup, only the sub-radiator is activated. 
  2. During medium and high speed driving, cooling is conducted by the sub-radiator and main radiator.
  3. At times of high load such a when climbing hills or crawling, the electric fan operates to cool the sub-radiator. (See the figure). 

Operation is automatically conducted based on fluctuations in temperature.

The dual radiator has the following characteristics. 

  1. The cooling fan causes little power loss in the engine and enables good high-speed performance and fuel economy.
  2. The engine is especially durable when climbing hills and crawling and there is no danger of overheating.
  3. Users are liberated from fan noise.
  4. There is no need to replenish or replace radiator coolant for a long time (every two years). Antifreeze solution that contains anti-rust solution is used as the radiator coolant.
  5. In winter, the sub-radiator is used to provide the heating performance of the 2,000 cc class engine.

(Source: “Subaru” magazine – Subaru 1000 extra edition (issued May 20, 1966))

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Distinct Engineering Mounted into the Subaru 1000 (Engine schema)

 

 

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Engine

The Subaru 1000 is equipped with a horizontally opposed four-cylinder water-cooled four-cycle engine possessing total displacement of 977 cc. In terms of performance, the engine has a compression ratio of 9.0 and maximum output of 55 ps/6000 rpm. The maximum torque is 7.8 kg/3200 rpm.

The Subaru 1000 engine has the following characteristics: 

  1. It is a horizontally opposed engine and, because it is made from aluminum alloy, it is light and compact and has good cooling performance. 
  2. Through designing a combustion chamber with high compression ratio and mechanical octane value, the engine has high output and high performance.
  3. The engine is designed to provide excellent durability.
  4. Fuel economy is good thanks to the high compression ratio and so on.
  5. Since the engine is horizontally opposed, it has good balance. Because it has no cooling fans and so on, it generates little vibration and noise and is quiet. 
  6. Since the engine is made of aluminum and has a new type combustion chamber with high mechanical octane value, it can use regular gasoline. 

(Source: “Subaru” magazine – Subaru 1000 extra edition (issued May 20, 1966))

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Why select the horizontally opposed engine? (1)

 

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An important element in the symmetrical AWD cars of Subaru is the horizontally opposed engine, i.e. power unit. Subaru mounted the horizontally opposed engine for the first time in the Subaru 1000 and over the next 40 years has refined this extremely unusual automobile power unit. Subaru selected the horizontally opposed engine because it contains a number of elements that make it ideal as the power unit for four-wheel-drive vehicles. How much did the engineers who developed the Subaru 1000 know about the potential of the horizontally opposed engine? Here, we have collected the testimony of engineers who worked on development at the time to find out why they chose the horizontally opposed engine.

Shinroku Momose, who was the automobile design leader for Subaru at the time, told designers that the engine for the FWD sedan to be newly developed could be any type so long as it satisfied the following five conditions.

  1. Since the vehicle is FWD, locate the deferential gear in the center of the car body in order to make the drive shaft operating angle as small as possible.
  2. Since the locations of pedals are decided to make driving easy for the driver, these cannot be changed.
  3. The engine height has to be low in order to keep the center of gravity down and increase the degree of flexibility in body design.
  4. Since the vehicle is FWD, the front overhang needs to be shortened.
  5. Vibration should be reduced in order to enhance the ride quality.

Mr. Motomitsu Honda, who was an engineer in the engine design department at the time, looks back as follows.
“Mr. Momose was not fussy about the type of engine. Since top priority is given to the people riding the vehicle, he presented the required dimensions and performance and said that any type of engine would suffice providing that the engine and mission met those conditions. We generated all the ideas we could think of and eventually narrowed these down to three possible plans.”

Edited by 1000 Pistes
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Why select the horizontally opposed engine? (2)

 

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Based on the required conditions for passenger vehicles that were presented by Shinroku Momose, the engine design department proposed three engine types, namely the transversely mounted in-line four-cylinder engine, the longitudinally mounted V-type four-cylinder engine, and the transversely mounted horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine.

“It was because the drive shafts could be equal length and also made longer. In FWD development at that time, the greatest problem was the drive shaft joints. Excellent joints were subsequently completed just before launch of the Subaru 1000, however, in order to avoid placing load on the joints, it was necessary to extend the drive shafts and make them equal length. However, this was difficult to achieve with the transversely mounted in-line four-cylinder engine.”

Development of the horizontally opposed engine was thus commenced, and the first engine to be designed was an 800 cc 36 HP engine, and based on this a 796 cc, 41 HP prototype was manufactured. This was subsequently upsized to a 923 cc, 46 HP model then a 977 cc, 47 HP model, and finally the EA-52 Engine 977 cc, 55 HP model was developed for mass production.

Aluminum was adopted as the material for the crank case and cylinder head in order to reduce weight. At that time, aluminum was 14 times more expensive than iron; moreover, because this wasn’t a typical in-line four-cylinder engine, all machine tools had to be specially ordered. Every time something cropped up, there was a discussion over whether the horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine was really the best choice. Even so, the engine development team built an aluminum horizontally opposed engine based on the steadfast belief that “a good product will always sell.”

As a result, the EA52 engine turned out to be 15 percent lighter than conventional in-line four-cylinder engines. At that time, in development of common mass production vehicles, engine and car body performance was pursued, but this was the first time that an effort to improve driving was made through reducing the engine weight. This was very unusual, but this most important weight reduction was thoroughly conducted in the Subaru 1000.

(The above contents were edited using extracts from Cartopia Vol. 314 and Vol. 382).

Edited by 1000 Pistes
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Development of the FWD car engine

 

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Mr. Yoshio Akiyama
Manager, No. 1 Engineering Department, Mitaka Plant, Fuji Heavy Industries

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Needless to say, the engine is the heart of the car. This makes it all the more appealing. The top-class engineers who build such engines are endowed with a common appeal. It is not simple or flippant but something more profound. Of course he possesses this charm.

This man thought deeply and for a long time in the course of building the Subaru 1000 engine. A lot of time and painstaking technology are needed in order to complete an engine, and the severity of this work comes across when speaking with this engineer. At the same time, one feels a sense of stature and solidity.

“We worked hard to build the Subaru 1000 engine. Whenever I work on an engine, I strive to build an engine that is reliable and fits well with the car as a product. I also have to build an engine that can rival other cars. In this case, I was especially motivated because we were building an FWD engine. First of all it was necessary to build an engine that was as light and compact as possible. Secondly, we had to maintain high output and high durability. For this reason, we developed a horizontally opposed aluminum alloy engine. I have confidence in it, and I’m sure you will see why when you drive the car.”

(Born in 1920, 46 years old (in 1966))

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In the Attic named Pleiades

 

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The Pleiades constellation, which constitutes the motif for the Subaru brand mark, is composed of six or seven stars depending on the person looking and country. In Japan, because the constellation appears to be a chain of six stars, the name “Mutsuraboshi” has also been used.

In this column, we pick up materials and documents from past Subaru catalogs, magazines and technical materials describing the stance of Subaru engineers towards manufacturing and the historical backdrop of past developments.

Here, we have picked up materials from the 1966 extra edition of the “Subaru” magazine that was launched as a car informational magazine for Subaru users on January 25, 1960, two years after the launch of the Subaru 360. We will introduce episodes from two engineers who were single-mindedly devoted to developing the Subaru 1000 at the time. Here we see the Monozukuri (the art of manufacturing) spirit of Subaru that has been faithfully passed down to the development staff of today.

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In the Mind of Subaru 1000 Development Engineers
(Source: “Subaru” magazine – Subaru 1000 extra edition (issued May 20, 1966))

Two Designers
Mr. Shinroku Momose

Manager, No. 1 Engineering Department, Gunma Plant, Fuji Heavy Industries (at that time)

He is tall but well-balanced, and his height creates his unique stature. His calm behavior, restrained demeanor, befitting softness, and the human sternness contained therein, were no doubt annealed from his days at Nakajima Aircraft Company. From his words, one can sense this engineer’s tenacity, determination and keen eye.

“There is nothing perfect in the world. However, we can make efforts to get closer to perfection. This is the challenge that faces the engineer. The difficulty lies in making the correct efforts for satisfying the given themes under the given conditions.”

This man maybe constantly has such thoughts on his mind as he designs and builds cars. Certainly, looking from the side of passengers, cars have to run well. Also, cars need to be manufactured to be safe and durable. In this respect, we want good cars that grasp the essence of automobiles to be made as a result of accumulating the “correct efforts” described by this engineer.

“In the past we made the Subaru 360 together with young colleagues. Fortunately, this car was driven by many people for eight years. This, more than anything, is the ultimate joy for an engineer.”

After the Subaru 360, he led the product development team for the Subaru 1000. (Born in 1919, 47 years old (1966))

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History of Development of Subaru 1000.    

 

Electric car ??????

 

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1. The idea came from the electric car production plan

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The 1500-cc passenger vehicle, the “Subaru 1500” (Model code “P-1”), which was completed in 1954 as a result of Fuji Heavy Industries’ first attempts to produce passenger vehicle, unfortunately did not reach the mass production stage, due in part to the fact that the mass production setup and retail environment were not fully established at the time. However, even though this project never materialized, the engineers of Fuji Heavy Industries never gave up on their dream to develop a compact-size passenger vehicle. In 1960, originating out of the electric car development plan being advanced by Fuji Heavy Industries at the time, the A5 compact vehicle project was launched, and by 1963 a prototype of a 1 liter air-cooled horizontally opposed engine front-wheel drive vehicle had been completed. At the same time, examination was conducted on a smaller compact vehicle, the A4, from 1961, and these prototype models led on to development of the 63A (Subaru 1000) beginning in 1963.

FWD or RWD?

Here lies the origin of “FF” - a word so commonly used today to refer to “FWD”.
In the design of the A4, there was intense debate within the Fuji Heavy Industries engineering department as to whether to adopt an FWD or an RWD vehicle. At one point it looked as though the RWD plan would prevail, however, due to propeller shaft problems that came to light in P-1 and the need to respond to future higher speeds, it was eventually decided to adopt FWD. Concerning hill climbing performance, which was one of the issues in FWD development, as a result of conduct tests on hilly roads in various areas, it was decided that the front weight distribution should be 60 percent or more. In the course of these discussions, a report entitled “Concerning Vehicle Performance” was prepared and in this recommendations for the type of cars to be aimed for by Subaru were made.

(In Japan, front-wheel drive cars are commonly called “FF” (Front engine, Front-wheel drive) cars. The term “FF” actually originates from an abbreviation that Subaru engineers were using internally on their development of the Subaru 1000. As Subaru started using the term in brochures as a catchy acronym to promote the front-wheel drive of the Subaru 1000, it spread outside Subaru and eventually became a common word to refer to front-wheel drive vehicles in general.)

"Concerning automobile performance"
1. Considering the size, adopt a layout that offers good interior comfort, wide trunk space and plenty of baggage room inside the car and makes it easy to conduct maintenance inspections. 
2. Strive to keep weight down.
3. Adopt four-wheel independent suspension in order to enhance ride quality and stability. 
4. Aim for good durability based on painstaking design and practical durability testing.
5. Secure reliability from low speeds to high speeds by improving in mountain and high-speed testing.

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Enhanced Test Facilities

In 1964, a 1.6 kilometer test course was completed on the grounds of Gunma Plant in Ohta City, Gunma Prefecture prior to completion of the prototype vehicle.
When the Subaru 1000 was developed, there were still no standards for collision safety in Japan. However, Fuji Heavy Industries was among the first to pay attention to collision safety and conducted independent tests entailing collisions into a barrier at 40 km/h in which it confirmed that survival space is secured.

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Development of a 4-wheel drive prototype

 

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In the spring of 1970, responding to a proposal from the power distribution department of Tohoku Electric Power Company, the Subaru dealership Miyagi Subaru completed a prototype model of a four-wheel drive remodeled Subaru 1000 van in approximately 10 months. For the rear-wheel drive system, the Nissan Bluebird drive system was utilized and a sedan semi-trailing arm was used for the rear suspension. After conducting running tests for actual road use, Miyagi Subaru brought this vehicle to Fuji Heavy Industries and proposed that it undergo production. FHI engineers immediately took in the proposal and got to work on design and production and the first prototype of the Subaru 1300G four-wheel-drive van was exhibited at the 1971 Tokyo Motor Show. Seven more Subaru 1300G van prototypes were later manufactured and vehicles were sold not only to Tohoku Electric Power but also Iiyama Agricultural Cooperative Association and Hakuba Village Office in Nagano Prefecture and the Defense Agency (current Ministry of Defense).

Tohoku Electric Power Company, which consigned the development, had until then used hooded jeep type four-wheel-drive vehicles in order to conduct maintenance/inspections of power equipment. During the snow season and so on, such vehicles were drafty, the heating didn’t work, they had poor fuel economy due to their heavy weight, and a great burden was thus placed on workers who used them. Accordingly, the company realized there was a need for a passenger vehicle-type four-wheel drive vehicle that was light and offered good fuel economy and was equipped with a cabin for offering protection to passengers from wind and rain.

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The Subaru 1000, which had a longitudinally mounted and compact horizontally opposed engine with transmission located to the rear for driving the front wheels, realized symmetrical part-time four-wheel drive with a simple structure through fitting a transfer gear for switching between FWD and 4WD behind the transmission and also attaching a propeller shaft and rear deferential. This basic structure was subsequently inherited by the Leone and Legacy and became the starting point of the Subaru symmetrical AWD that continues today.

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Subaru 1000 Genealogy (1965~1971) update

 

The Subaru 1000 went on sale on May 14, 1966. Three types of four-door sedans were launched. In 1967, a two-door sedan (February 15) and a four-door van (September 14) were additionally launched, while the floor shift model and two-door van (August 1) were added in 1968. In 1969 (March 1), the Subaru ff-1 Series (four-door sedan, two-door sedan, sports sedan and van), entailing renewal of the front grille design and so on based on the Subaru 1000 Series’ mechanism and styling was launched. In 1970 (July 10), the Subaru ff-1 1300G and 1100 Series went on sale. In 1971, the New 1300G Series was launched (April 22), and the line was passed onto the Leone Series that went on sale in October the same year.

Subaru 1000 four-door van standard February 15, 1967

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Size:Length 3880 mm x Width 1480 mm x Height 1415 mm
Wheelbase:2420mm
Tread: (Front):(Front) 1225mm (Rear) 1235mm
Min. ground clearance:180mm
Vehicle weight:725㎏
Riding capacity:5 persons

Engine:EA52
Model:Horizontally opposed four-cylinder, water-cooled four-cycle
Displacement:977cc
Max. output:55PS/6000r.p.m.
Max. torque:7.8㎏・m/3200r.p.m.

Suspension
Front:Wishbone independent suspension
Rear:Trailing arm independent suspension

Subaru ff-1 Standard March 1, 1969

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Size:3900 mm x Width 1480 mm x Height 1390 mm
Wheelbase:2420mm
Tread: (Front):(Front) 1225mm (Rear) 1210mm
Min. ground clearance:180mm
Vehicle weight:670 ㎏
Riding capacity:5 persons

Engine:EA61
Model:Horizontally opposed four-cylinder, water-cooled four-cycle
Displacement:1088cc
Max. output:62PS/6000r.p.m.
Max. torque:8.7㎏・m/3200r.p.m.

Suspension
Front:Wishbone independent suspension
Rear:Trailing arm independent suspension

 

ff-1 1300G Sedan Standard July 10, 1970

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Size:ff-1 1300G Sedan Standard July 10, 1970
Wheelbase:2420mm
Tread: (Front):(Front) 1225mm (Rear) 1205mm
Min. ground clearance:175mm
Vehicle weight:685㎏
Riding capacity:5 persons

Engine:EA62
Model:Horizontally opposed four-cylinder, water-cooled four-cycle
Displacement:1267cc
Max. output:80PS/6400r.p.m.
Max. torque:10.1㎏・m/4000r.p.m.

Suspension
Front:Wishbone independent suspension
Rear: Semi-trailing independent suspension

New 1300G Sedan Standard April 2, 1971

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Size:Length 3900 mm x Width 1480 mm x Height 1390 mm
Wheelbase:2420mm
Tread: (Front):(Front) 1225mm (Rear) 1205mm
Min. ground clearance:175mm
Vehicle weight:685㎏
Riding capacity:5 persons

Engine:EA62
Model:Horizontally opposed four-cylinder, water-cooled four-cycle
Displacement:1267cc
Max. output:80PS/6400r.p.m.
Max. torque:10.1㎏・m/4000r.p.m.

Suspension
Front:Wishbone independent suspension
Rear:Semi-trailing independent suspension

 

 

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SUBARU 1000 Launched in 1966 (1)

 

 

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The first thing we will touch on is Subaru’s car making of nearly a half century ago. This might be before you were even born. However, this isn’t just some simple tale about the good old days. It is a documentary about persons who tookon the challenge of creating new technology in an era when there was very little accumulated information or technical knowledge, and even tools were not sufficiently available.

As the name indicates, the Subaru 1000 was a four-door sedan with a 1,000-cc displacement engine that was unveiled in 1965. This was only seven years after the first car that Subaru had introduced to the market: the Subaru 360, a lightweight kei car with a 360-cc air-cooled two-cycle engine (a kei car is a unique designation used in Japan to denote lightweight compact vehicles that are different from larger cars with a larger displacement, and are accorded favorable treatment in regards to taxes and other legalities).

During those seven years, the Subaru 360 had enjoyed impressive sales, and car ownership was becoming a reality for ordinary Japanese people. It was around this time that car population was starting to grow rapidly in the country along with color TV sets and air conditiners (“cooler” in Japan) as the “three C treasures” that represented affluence.Carmakers other than Subaru also introduced 1,000-cc class passenger vehicles such as the Corolla (introduced by Toyota in 1966), the Sunny (introduced by Nissan in 1966), and the Familia (introduced by Mazda in 1963).

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After its unveiling, the Subaru 1000 went on sale on May 14, 1966. It was the year that FHI’s new headquarters building “Subaru Building” was completed (January 10) and the Beatles made their first visit to Japan causing such excitement in the country (June 29).

The Subaru 1000, which went on sale amidst this vibrant atmosphere, was also filled with the overflowing energy of Subaru engineers of that time. That passion for creating automobiles, as well as the mechanisms that could be considered as extremely distinctive and even bold, have been inherited without change by Subaru car manufacturing of today.

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SUBARU 1000 Launched in 1966 (2)

 

 

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Size: Length 3,900 mm x Width 1,480 mm x Height 1,390 mm
Wheelbase: 2,400 mm
Tread: (Front) 1,225 mm (Rear) 1,210 mm
Min. ground clearance: 185 mm
Vehicle weight: 670 kg
Riding capacity: Five persons

Engine: EA52
Model: Horizontally opposed four cylinder, water-cooled four-cycle
Displacement: 977 cc
Max. output: 55 PS/ 6,000 rpm
Max. torque: 7.8 kg-m/3,200 rpm

Suspension
Front: Wishbone independent suspension
Rear: Trailing arm independent suspension

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The Subaru 1000 was presented to reporters on Oct. 21, 1965, at the 12th Tokyo Motor Show held at Harumi, Tokyo. The car adopted front-wheel drive, unusual for Japanese cars at that time, and was equipped with a horizontally opposed engine, which would later become main power unit for Subaru, inherited by model after model. The Subaru 1000 had assertively adopted extremely original high-technology mechanisms such as the front inboard brakes and dual radiators*, such that some 30 new mechanical patents were acquired for this vehicle alone. Additionally, visitors to the motor show did not notice that the engine was running during the two minute trial-operation due to it’s quietness.

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