Subaru ad, ca. 1968: The 360 Mini-sedan (Source: 1wrecksman). $1297 P.O.E. (at point-of-entry), UP TO 66 M.P.G. Who's laughing now?
And also, who now remembers the original Subaru "gas sipper" ads? I can't remember exactly when they came out, but if memory serves, they were colorful print ads showing a Subaru mini-wagon sipping from a straw -- and there may have been a cartoon version, too. Late 1970s or early 1980s, like say around 1982 or 1983 when gas had spiked (Iran-Iraq War, Israeli invasion of Lebanon) and another recession spread doom and gloom throughout the realm?
In any case, happy birthday to Joseph Eggleston Johnston!
Today's Rune: Possessions.
4 comments:
Subaru was the first Japanese car company to use a name derived from its own language. It refers to a group of six stars - also known by its original Japanese name of mutsuraboshi - in the constellation of Taurus. We'd know them as Pleiades. Subaru is also Japanese for "unite".
On February 15, 1967 Malcolm Bricklin and Harvey Lamm form Subaru of America (SoA) in Pennsylvania and contract with Fuji Heavy Industries to import the Subaru and in 1968, the first year, import 332 cars. In 2000 SoA sold 172,216 cars which is 14,351 per month or about 20 cars per hour around the clock every day of the year.
Subaru, a Japanese car company, is a subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries. General Motors is a 20% minority shareholder of Fuji Heavy. "Subaru" is the Japanese word for the star cluster Pleiades that is depicted in the company logo. The Pleiades also known as the Seven Sisters has seven stars, the logo's six stars represent the five companies that came together after WW2 to form one large company. While an automotive minnow compared to many of its competitors, Subaru has been a highly profitable company for many years. It is noted for the production of conventional-bodied cars with full-time all wheel drive (in fact, in many markets its entire product range has this feature) and its use of the horizontally-opposed boxer engine (flat engine).
Subaru's best-known vehicles are high performance turbocharged versions of its Legacy (known as Liberty in Australia), and Impreza, which offer outstanding performance and handling at relatively affordable prices. Modified versions of the Impreza WRX and WRX STi have been competing successfully in car rallies and the World Rally Championship for many years. Several endurance records were set in the early and mid-nineties by the Legacy.
Recently GM has developed the Saab 9-2X model, based on the Subaru Impreza WRX, and the upcoming Saab 9-6X model, based on the Subaru B9 Tribeca.
http://www.cartype.com/pages/1684/subaru
Notice the Bricklin name. Old Malcolm not only gave us a car named for himself but the YUGO was another of his more...uhhh "forward" thinking ideas.
Malc wants to be known as a car guy but to be honest he is not a car guy but a car capitalist. Iaccoca is a car guy, Edsel Ford was a car guy, DeLorean was a car guy. Bricklin never built much but his own fortune.
*shrug*
Looks like those kinds of cars are making a comeback. But I wonder how long it'll last.
AND it comes with a hot hippie chick with a honking glass of cognac!?! I want one!
I knew someone that had a Subaru truck back in the 80's. Everyone made fun of his vehicle, especially how fast it rusted in Michigan's weather.
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