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Freak Of The Week: Subaru 360

This morning, I went to Super Car Sunday. It’s a great time. But it can often be, like many other car shows, an oversized circle jerk. On one side, you’ve got the grey bearded guys standing with hands deep in their pockets contemplating if it was the ’69 or ’70 Mustang that had the 2 barrel Windsor V8. Ug. On the other, you’ve got of Ferraris, McLarens & Lambos lined up with varying degrees of aftermarket explosions of disposable wealth. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. It’s a ball! But it’s not the kind of place you expect to see this:
Subaru 360
And in the petrol head crowd, most people don’t boast like this:
image
But this is no ordinary super car. This my friends, is a Subaru:
Subaru 360
Huh? Wha? I know. You were expecting something with a far more outdoorsy, more lesbian, slant. But this isn’t the modern Subaru, the Porsche of Portland, this is the 1969 Subaru 360 van. And it was one of the first Japanese production vehicles brought to the US.

As I talk to this nice, normal guy about his extraordinary, un-super car at Super Sunday, I learn a lot. First of all, this is his daily drive. He even takes it on freeways where it whizzes by at 60mph (which in LA is like taking a donkey on the 405). I also learn that this van, and its coupe counterpart, the Ladybug, got a whopping 66mpg in 1969. Take that oil crisis!

So as I stood there, feeling very much like this Subaru (smaller, cuter and less powerful than the attendees), I realize that we all belong at Super Car Sunday. For car culture isn’t just about speed, size or gobs of money, it’s the space where we celebrate what makes driving so much fun– that if you pay attention, there’s always a surprise on the roads.

So rock on Subaru 360 and welcome to the freak show!

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