Subaru’s Secret Heritage Warehouse

Automobile manufacturers are often proud of their heritage and display this pride with a museum to show their past products. Some go beyond their own products, such as the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI, which explores several forms of transportation and even goes deep into the history of the steam engine. However, museums are expensive to design and maintain, and they may be competing for resources with the need to develop a new vehicle platform or EV drivetrain. Before a museum’s creation, manufacturers will often steadily collect the cars to fill them. 

Subaru has a hidden collection in a warehouse adjacent to their Camden, New Jersey headquarters. While not open to the public, they occasionally invite automotive journalists in for a peek. MotorTrend recently had a look. As everyone at Subaru of Plano is aware, Subaru has always marched to the beat of a different drummer, so an extensive collection of historic Subarus will undoubtedly be a treat.

Humble Beginnings

The Subaru Brand’s first foray into the United States market was thanks to Malcolm Bricklin. Yes, the same man who later became known for the ill-fated Bricklin SV-1 gull-wing sports car and who subsequently brought similarly ill-fated Yugo to the US. In the late 60s, Fuji Heavy Industries was phasing out its scooter production to focus on automobiles. Bricklin planned to buy up the surplus scooters, brand them as the “Rabbit” for the US, and sell them through a network of gas stations. During a meeting in Japan, he spotted the egg-shaped Subaru 360 Kei car (the smallest car class in Japan intended for the city, with strict restrictions on size, weight, and displacement). The car got 60 mpg and, because it was under 1,000 pounds, didn’t need to meet US automotive standards. Ill-suited for US roads, the 360 was a sales flop, but Fuji heavy industries saw potential in the US market and took over operations, formally establishing Subaru of America. So the informal tour starts with the Rabbit and the 360 as well as a micro van version of the 360, which was also briefly sold here by Bricklin.

Championing FWD and Introducing AWD

With the 360 behind them, Subaru marketed the FF-1 Star, a more conventional small 4-door sedan with a 1.1-liter engine. The FF-1 Star wasn’t a big hit either, but it was front-wheel drive when most cars, including imports, were not. It had a flat, horizontally opposed (boxer) 4-cylinder engine, starting a tradition that continues to this day. 

Already pioneers in front-wheel drive, it was in 1972 when Subaru offered an all-wheel drive in a Leone Estate, a compact station wagon, which became the first mass-produced all-wheel drive passenger car in the U.S. By the mid-70s, Subaru’s ad agency came out with the tagline “Inexpensive. And Built to Stay That Way” which resonated with Americans dealing with their first significant increases in gas prices. Subaru found a market for its all-wheel drive cars in the northeast and mountain states and started spreading the drivetrain to its sedans, coupes, and, of course, the BRAT. 

XT for the 80s

The XT emerged in the 80s when almost every brand offered a compact sports coupe. Amidst Toyota Celicas, Honda Preludes, Mitsubishi Eclipses, and Ford Probes, the Subaru XT naturally went its own way. It offered both FWD and AWD, the latter not unheard of in the class but still rare. The AWD model was propelled by a turbocharged 1.8-liter boxer-4, producing 112 horsepower and 143 lb-ft of torque. The wedgy notchback design was the most aerodynamic passenger car of its day, with a drag coefficient of 0.29. The inside featured pods on each side of the steering wheel, which grouped controls generally found on the dash and center stack. The steering wheel itself was a futuristic piece with one horizontal and one vertical spoke, and the instrument panel was fully digital.

SVX for the 90s

In 1991, the XT was replaced by a much higher-spec sports coupe designed to compete against the Z-cars, Supras, RX-7s, and Mitsubishi’s 3000GT. With an eye-popping exterior by Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign, the aircraft-inspired glass canopy features unique lowerable windows within fixed windows. Its coefficient of .29 matched its predecessor, and it was powered by a normally aspirated 3.3-liter boxer-6 that produced 231 horsepower and 228 lb-ft of torque. The power was routed through a 4-speed automatic to all four wheels, though a FWD model was added a few years later. Fighting a crippling yen-to-dollar exchange rate that raised its cost, the SVX has a single generation and was phased out in 1997. Many of its competing models did not last much longer for the same reason.

2006 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT Spec.B

The 2006 Legacy had a grille that recalled the SVX, but otherwise was a relatively conventional-looking mid-size sedan. But in 2006, the 2.5GT Spec B was fitted with a 250-horsepower turbocharged 2.5-liter boxer-4.  It raided the STi parts bin for an aluminum control arm suspension with Bilstein dampers.  It had a 5-speed manual, which was replaced the following year with a 6-speed manual with a high-performance clutch, and of course, it had AWD. Still, aside from the hood scoop for the intercooler and flashy red seats, it generally appeared as a normal Legacy sedan, making it quite the sleeper. Only 500 were made, and the secret museum has car #1.

Odds and Ends

MotorTrend noted a few other unique models, such as the 1987 Justy sub-compact hatch that holds the land speed record for the I-Production class (production cars with 1.0-liter engines) at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. There is also a 1999 (1st-gen) Forester woody with real ash and mahogany exterior side panels with additional ash trim on the wheels and bumpers. It was never sold, but it is quite interesting to look at. Of course, there is a WRX Sti and a Ken Block rally racer in Monster livery.

Unfortunately, this is all under lock and key with no public access. Hopefully, Subaru will give all these models a proper venue. And though it will probably be in the home of Subaru headquarters, Camden, New Jersey, which is a long way from Subaru of Plano, we can’t wait to see it.