The makers of Subaru, Fuji Heavy Industries, was incorporated in 1953. Although they had been building scooters since the 1940s, it wasn’t until 1958 that they introduced their first car, the diminutive Subaru 360. Made in response to a mandate from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry for a Janapese “People’s Car”, the 360 was a big hit, and production would reach almost 400,000 by the time it was discontinued in 1971.

Built to the 360 cc standard set for the diminutive class of automobiles called kei cars in Japan, the Subaru 360 was actually the first kei car to feature four wheels as well as room for four people. Suicide doors made getting in and out of the 900-pound car a bit easier.


Other distinguishing and advanced features included unibody construction and a fiberglass roof. Powering the first 360s was a 25-horsepower, 356 cc, two-stroke, air-cooled straight-twin, but this would later grow to 423 cc.
Considering its lack of power, the 360′s top speed of about 60 miles per hour is at least respectable, and it could reach that speed in about 37 seconds. Not exactly World Rally Championship-winning performance, but perfectly adequate for buzzing around Tokyo.


The 360 was great in the world of kei cars and certainly helped bring Subaru to where they are today, but in foreign markets it found less love. Microcars didn’t stay popular for very long in most of the world, and there were enough cheap cars like the Volkswagen Beetle that were bigger, faster, more practical and had four-stroke engines. One look at a 360 next to a WRX STI shows just how far Subaru has come.

 

Additional pictures here:
http://www.boldride.com/ride/1970/subaru-360#gallery/4

Fuji Heavy Industries was incorporated in 1953, being a combination of six engineering firms that had been part of the giant Nakajima aircraft firm, although a part of the dismantled aircraft firm already carried the Fuji name in 1946. Its logo carries the six stars of the Pleiades constellation, representing the six formative parts.
- Quick Specs -

• Make
  
  Subaru
• Model
  
  360
• Year
  
  1970
• Engine
  
  356 Cc 2-Cylinder
• HP
  
  25



Fuji began making their S-1 scooter in 1946, six months before the Vespa, and they continued to make their technologically-advanced Rabbit scooters until 1968. They introduced their first car, the Subaru 360, in 1958, in response to a Ministry of International Trade and Industry mandate for a “People’s Car.” 


It was the first “kei” class car with four wheels and room for four people, and with its nickname being the “Ladybug,” it became one of Japan’s most popular cars. Its partly recessed headlamps flanking a VW-like lid gave it an appealing “face.” The car demonstrated a technical sophistication rarely seen in a microcar at the time, such as torsion bar trailing arm suspension, a unibody construction, and a fiberglass roof. Doors were of the rear-hinged “suicide” type. It sold well in Japan, being made until 1971, but it was less successful in the U.S.A. in terms of sales.
Part of the RM Auctions event for Bruce Weiner in February, 2013
Source: RM Auctions
Photo Credit: Darin Schnabel

 

A similar car
By Andrew Newton


The German automaker Glas might not be a household name, but its contributions to the car world are actually quite important. Glas patented belt-driven camshafts and in 1966 BMW bought the company to get its hands on some of that technology. In fact, many BMWs of that period were just rebadged Glas designs. Before the BMW takeover, though, Glas built farm machinery, scooters and this adorable microcar with an equally cute name: the Goggomobil.
The Goggomobil was a series of small cars built from 1955 until the late 1960s. Buyers had the choice of sedan, coupe or even a transporter van. The coupes were naturally the more attractive and expensive option; 66,000 of them were built compared to well over 200,000 for the sedan. Under the hood were either 250, 300 or 400 cc motors coupled to a four-speed gearbox with reverse (something microcar owners couldn’t always take for granted). In the case of the TS-250 Coupe, the 247 cc air-cooled two-stroke twin made a whopping 13.6 horsepower.


What it lacks in grunt, the Glas Goggomobil TS-250 certainly makes up for in charm. If you squint and you’re far away from one, it almost has the pleasing proportions of a larger sports car. Indeed it does have good proportions, but they are just so tiny. It’s only about nine feet long (a typical sedan’s wheelbase length) and four feet high, and it weighs less than 1,000 pounds.
It will still seat two (thin) adults comfortably, though, and could get up to just under highway speeds. What the Goggomobil and its other tiny contemporaries were really built for were to satisfy the desire for personal transport in a cash-strapped and fuel-starved postwar Germany. These circumstances actually brought about this market segment that we know as microcars and it has certainly become one of the more memorable and certainly charming automotive genres of all.



Dozens of companies tried their hand at microcars, but the Goggomobil was one of the best selling and one of the prettiest as well and today it’s popular with collectors. The appeal of a lot of microcars lies mostly in their quirkiness and cute factor. But the Goggomobil Coupe is actually a pretty good looking car in its own right while still retaining all of that “Aw, look how small it is!” charm. It’s a car that just screams fun.



Goggomobil was a series of microcars produced in the Bavarian town Dingolfing after World War II by Glas. 214,313 sedans, 66,511 coupes and 3,667 transport vans and pickups were built from 1955-1969.

The Goggomibil TS 2+2 coupe were introduced at the 1957 IFMA show alongside the improved T sedan. It was available as the TS250, the TS300 and the TS400 the numbers reflecting the approximate engine size in cubic centimeters. The only major change to the TS coupe was the change from rear-hinged suicide doors to front-hinged conventional doors in 1964. The TS coupe was always 10 to 20 percent more expensive than the T sedan.
- Quick Specs -

• Make
  
  Goggomobil
• Model
  
  TS-250
• Year
  
  1966
• Engine
  
  247cc 2-Cylinder
• HP
  
  14

- Configuration Glas 2-stroker rear engine, 247 cc displacement
- Engine 2 cylinder, 2-stroker, air cooled, 13.6 HP at 5,000 rpm
- 4-speed transmission plus reverse
- Tires 4.40x10"
- Weight 415 kg (915 lb)
Source: Mecum Auctions as part of the Seattle event in June, 2014
Photo Credit: Dan Duckworth

 

By Bill Wilson
Some of these cars have appeared at the Lake Mirror Classic in Lakeland Florida

Sometimes size matters, but not in the way we usually think. Tiny cars offer advantages that their bigger cousins just can’t match. These include convenience, economy and sheer cuteness. So here’s a look at five autos that could find ample room in your heart as well as your back pocket.
The Transformabile
Released in 1957 by the Italian automaker Autobianchi, the Transformabile was one of five versions of the same vehicle, the Bianchina. Each had a 0.479-liter engine that turned out 18 hp; some versions were capable of 21 hp. They were just big enough for a quick trip to the market or a Sunday jaunt across the countryside.
The Peel P50
Ideal for parking in cramped spaces or for drag racing lawnmowers, until 2009 the Peel held the record for smallest auto ever built. The design took simplicity to the extreme. As the transmission had no reverse gear, the driver simply got out, grabbed a back handle and spun the vehicle around. A pair of entrepreneurs recently obtained venture capital to build a modern version of the Peel. The new model has an official top speed of 28 mph, making it the perfect choice for spoiled, speed-addicted teenagers in need of a way to school.
The Messerschmitt KR200
Banned from buidling aircraft in the aftermath of WW2, German company Messerschmitt turned its attention to building automobiles in the 1950s. The KR200 was known as the Kabinenroller in the Deutscheland. The term literally means “scooter with cabin,” which pretty much sums up this adorable little machine. The company sold approximately 40,000 units from 1956 to 1964.
The Heinkel Kabine
Built from 1956 to 1958 by the Dundalk Engineering Company in Ireland, the first model of the Cabine used the same .0174-liter, 9 9.2 hp engine that powered the company’s tourist scooters. Later models featured a larger engine that pushed the Cabine to a top speed of 56 mph, giving it muscle car status among its peers.
The Elio

This is a modern effort at a microcar that’s set to be released in the fourth quarter of 2014. Powered by a 2.8-liter engine, the vehicle’s backers claim it will get 84 mpg, be capable of speeds in excess of 100 mph and have a sticker price of $6,800. I should be able to give a follow-up report on the Elio this time next year; I’ve signed up to be one of the first buyers. In the meantime, you can find out more at the company’s official website.

Some people say the Elio is a version of a Can-Am motorcycle-Bob

BMW Isetta
BMW made the Isetta its own. They redesigned the powerplant around a more reliable BMW one-cylinder, four-stroke, 247 cc motorcycle engine making 13 hp. Although the major elements of the Italian design remained intact, BMW re-engineered much of the car, so much so that none of the parts between a BMW Isetta Moto Coupe and an Iso Isetta are interchangeable. The first BMW Isetta appeared in April, 1955.
BMW Isetta 250
While it retained the "Bubble Window" styling, it differed from the Italian model in that its headlamps were fixed separately to the sides of the bodywork and it carried the BMW badge below the windscreen. The car was also redesigned to take a modified version of the 250 cc 4-stroke engine from the BMW R25/3 motorcycle and the front suspension was changed. The single-cylinder generated 12 hp at 5800 rpm. The crankcase and cylinder were made of cast iron, the cylinder head of aluminium. However, the head was rotated by 180 degrees compared with the motorcycle engine. The twin-bearing crankshaft was also different in the Isetta power unit, being larger and featuring reinforced bearings. One of the reasons for this was the heavy Dynastart unit which combined the dynamo and self-starter. The fuel mixture was provided by a Bing sliding throttle side draft motorcycle carburettor. In addition to further changes of detail, the BMW engineers enlarged the sump for installation in the car and cooled the engine by means of a radial fan and shrouded ducting.
The power train from the four-speed gearbox to the two rear wheels was also unusual: fixed to the gearbox output drive was something called a Hardy disc, which was a cardan joint made of rubber. On the other side of it was a cardan shaft, and finally a second Hardy disc, which in turn was located at the entrance to a chain case. A duplex chain running in an oil bath led finally to a rigid shaft, at each end of which were the two rear wheels. Thanks to this elaborate power transfer, the engine-gearbox unit was both free of tension and well soundproofed in its linkage to the rear axle.
In Germany the Isetta could even be driven with a motorcycle licence. The top speed of the Isetta 250 was rated as 85 km/h.
The first BMW Isetta rolled off the line in April of 1955 and in the next eight months, some 10,000 of the "bubblecars" were produced.
BMW Isetta 300
In October 1956 the Isetta Moto Coupe DeLuxe (sliding-window Isetta) was introduced. The bubble windows were replaced by longer, sliding side windows. The engineers had enlarged the single cylinder to a 72 mm bore and 73 mm stroke, which gave a displacement of exactly 298 cc, and at the same time they raised the compression ratio from 6.8 to 7.0:1. In this way the engine now generated 13 hp (10 kW) at 5200 rpm, and the torque rose to 18.4 N·m at 4600 rpm. The maximum speed remained at 85 km/h, yet there was a marked increase in flexibility, chiefly noticeable on gradients.
In addition to the quest for better performance, there was another reason for the change: it was then still possible to drive the 250 cc Isetta with the old Class IV driving licence. Quite a number of Isettas were lovingly maintained by their owners for years and even decades, precisely because they possessed no other licence. On the other hand, from 1956 onwards, first-time drivers had to pass the test for Class III if they wanted to drive a car. True, the Class IV licence continued to be issued, but it was only valid for small motorcycles.
A second, similar reason for fitting the larger engine was the prevailing tax regime. The 250 cc engine did not take full advantage of the tax class, which then went up to 300 cc.
BMW Isetta 600
The BMW 600 was intended as an enlarged Isetta three-wheeler with more power and a more conventional four-wheel configuration.
The front end of the 600 was virtually unchanged from the Isetta, but the 600's wheelbase was stretched to accommodate four seats. A conventional rear axle was added. BMW introduced the semi-trailing arm independent suspension on the 600. This suspension would be used on almost every new model for the next four decades. Because of extra size and weight, the 600 had a more powerful engine than the Isetta. The 600 had the 582 cc twin engine from the R67 motorcycle. Top speed was 64 mph.
In two years only 34,000 600s were produced, partly due to price competition with the entry-level VW Beetle. In the late 1950s consumers wanted cars that looked like cars, and they had lost interest in economy models. Sales of the 600 were, however, aided by the energy crisis of 1956–1957.
In May 1962 BMW ceased production of the Isetta. A total of 161,728 units had been built.
Source: Wikipedia, 2011