Description
A rare opportunity to own a very special little micro car and Subaru’s first production car, the 360.
The diminutive 360 was the very first car built by Subaru and was produced from 1958 until 1971 by which time nearly 400, 000 had been built. The car was the first mass produced vehicle built to conform to a new class of vehicle in Japan called the Keijidosha or Kei Class, limiting size, weight (410kg!) and engine capacity to just 360cc and allowing tax and insurance benefits to help motorise the post war population in Japan. The Subaru 360 quickly became one of the most popular cars in Japan and to this day is considered to be an icon and as such very few leave Japan! From our research, we believe there is only 2 or 3 other Subaru 360s in the UK.
Our Subaru 360, a Japanese right hand drive example with the ‘overtop’ fibreglass roof, came to the UK in 2016. Imported by a dealer of modern Japanese cars, the car resided in their private collection, often on display in the window of their showroom.
The car has been on display in our classic Fiat 500 showroom ever since and has been a fantastic talking point! The Subaru has been regularly started and driven down the lane, often taking customers out for a little spin which has been a lot of fun.
The car is very solid and original, with only small areas of surface corrosion on the single skin section at the bottom of the doors and on the steel wheels. The paintwork is in the classic off-white that Subaru 360s are synonymous with in Japan and over the years it has developed some cracks, we believe from the car sitting in the glass window of the previous owners showroom. The car has so much charm in its lightly patinated original condition that we chose to leave the car looking exactly as it was. It even retains import stickers and Japanese writing on the windows from its import. The car has been correctly UK registered and is now wearing small Japanese size number plates.
The brightwork is in good condition all round with only very light tarnishing, slightly worse on the lower quarter panel chrome sections. The rubbers and plastics on the car are all in good shape with the exception of the opening rear window rubbers which have deteriorated. the rear bumper rubber trims are present but not on the car. The fibreglass roof is in very good condition with some light surface crazing but no cracks or damage, the perspex rear window is slightly cloudy but is doing very well considering its 56 years old!
Inside, the car has grey corduroy bench seats in very nice condition, The padded dash and steering wheel are free from cracks and in nice order and the headlining is very smart. The paint around the drivers footwell has peeled away, we believe from a leaky master cylinder that was replaced in Japan before it was imported. The floor is however very solid. The rear rubber mats are present and in good order but the front mats are sadly missing.
The car retains the original and tiny Subaru key, suited to both the ignition and doors.
In our ownership we have cleaned out the carburettor, freed the brakes, replaced the fuel lines and with a fresh battery, fuel and some 2 stroke oil, the little air cooled 356cc 2 cylinder fired up! A light tune up has the car running nicely. Electrically, everything is working well on it. We have had a lot of fun taking fellow small car enthusiasts up and down the lane. The car always starts regardless to how long it's been since sitting and when driving, selects all gears well from its little dog leg 4 speed box. We have not ventured too far in little Subaru, only enjoying the local country lanes of Essex. We would recommend a set of new tyres and some brake cylinders to get the car ready for regular road use.
We enjoyed owning the car preserved in its lovely original state as part of our collection but its a great contender to put on the road to be taken to shows and events or to fully restore to perfect order. We have sourced a complete spare drivetrain (engine, gearbox etc) for the car to ensure it can be kept running in the UK for years to come. This is included in the sale.
We have sourced an English language brochure (360s were sold briefly in the US), some magazine articles and Subaru press photographs. A BIMTA certificate authenticates the low mileage of 56, 000km (35, 000 miles). These along with the original Japanese import documents and the UK V5 make up the history file. The car has one previous owner on the logbook.
