Subaru 100, 1100, 1300 (Gavin Farmer, 2022)

Gavin Farmer, Peter Kallenbach, Tom Ukai

Quite possibly the most unique automobile to come from the vast Japanese industry during the 1960s was the Subaru 1000. It was displayed at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show and available in showrooms from May 1966.

What made it so unusual was its technical design that offered buyers such niceties as a beautifully balanced and smooth aluminium-alloy flat-four engine (commonly referred to as a “boxer”) driving a four-speed transaxle and then to the front wheels, Alfin drum brakes all round and inboard at the front, a fully independent suspension system featuring torsion bars to save space, a dual radiator cooling system and so the list went on.

For technical novelty no other Japanese car came close; in fact few in the rest of world could match it. The Subaru 1000 would run to a maximum speed of more than 130km/h (80mph) and displayed absolute stability at speed in inclement conditions.

In 1969 an updated version, the ff-1 1100 arrived with slightly more power followed in 1971 by the fibal iteration of the model, the 1300G which offered over 145km/h from the standard sedan and 160km/h from the Sports and Super Touring.

Sadly these fascinating cars have been largely ignored by the so-called cognoscenti of the classic car world which is a shame because they were the starting point for everything that Subaru is today.