If you’ve always dreamed of driving a bumper car ’round town, here’s your chance. Ok it’s not exactly a bumper car but the Subaru 360 is barely larger than an amusement ride – whether it’s amusing or not is a matter of perspective. These two are offered here on eBay by a characterful couple specializing in parting out old cars. They’re also collectors of other vintage items, so while they’re looking for an opening bid of $5111 or best offer on this set, they’re open to trades. too. (If you have an extra half hour, read the “1%ers Disclaimer” in the eBay listing – I know how he feels.) Thanks to Russell G for the tip!
Subaru built the 360 as an entry level four-seat coupe for Japanese families, starting in 1958. The wheelbase is 71″ – compare that to a VW Bug at 94.5″. The 360 tips the scales at 980 lbs – its featherweight dimensions, along with a rear-mounted air-cooled 356 cc two-stroke inline-two cylinder engine, allowed the car to dodge tax in Japan. Those statistics also helped the little car avoid emissions and safety federalization when Malcolm Bricklin – yes, THAT Bricklin – masterminded importation of 50,000 copies to the US. In the end, only a fraction of that number actually arrived, for reasons that will become apparent in a moment…. The green car runs – if you can call it that – though the brakes need work. The seller will throw in a Katana motorbike – scavenge its engine for the red car and you could have the first 360 hot rod on your block.
Bricklin is not known for his astute decision-making, though the 360 affair was early in his parade of horribles. Once the car hit our shores, critical reviews piled up, with Consumer Reports calling the car “not acceptable”. The car required at least 40 seconds to reach FIFTY mph, let alone sixty – which some say is impossible to attain even with a tailwind. The gearshift is vague. The car requires a cocktail of oil and gasoline – forget the oil and you’ll meet trouble. And weirdly, reviewers experienced much worse fuel mileage than touted by Subaru – perhaps because the little motor was perpetually revving just to make it to the next stop sign.
The predominant color scheme was white over red, though in Japan “sport” versions with more horsepower were sold in other colors. The sellers note that between the two cars, most of a relatively nice red interior can be cobbled up. A pile of other parts come with the pair. The doors open suicide-style and just one gauge is available to tell you all you need to know. The speedometer is optimistically calibrated to 80 mph.
A lack of sales dogged the tiny car – but you could turn that around for 2025! Take this pair home before they’re atomized into parts. Restored examples can sell for the mid-teens, leaving little headroom for expenses, but negotiating the sales price will help, and you could part out whichever car you don’t restore at the end of the process. Have you ever owned or driven at Subaru 360?
Fantastic article, Michelle! These cars aren’t much bigger than a Certs (“Two, two, two mints in one.”) (old commercial). I would have never in a million years guessed that these cars, or any Subaru 360s, would be in Langdon, North Dakota.
The padded dash on the white (green) car looks brand new, as does the steering wheel. That dash is worth a small fortune by itself in that condition! They mention the white one runs but needs brake work. Just a heads up, they all need brake work.
A Subaru 360 Young S was at the top of my list for several years. I always look for the roof indent to see if a 360 is a Young S model, which was sold in the U.S. for a short time. The Young SS was not sold here; they got a hotter (so to speak) engine, covered headlights, twin carbs, and were all right-hand drive.
The Young S version doesn’t come up for sale too often, but when they do, it’s worth the extra money. You get an extra gauge (tach), an extra gear, bucket seats in front, and a roof indent to hold your surfboard. And they came in red and yellow, in addition to white – all with black seats, unlike the Deluxe sedan that had red seats. I spent at least two hours looking at one in January in an unheated garage in Minneapolis a few years ago and had already decided I was getting it, until I tried to get my legs under the steering wheel. They didn’t fit. My dreams were crushed, as lame as that sounds. Years of looking at them, studying them, and thinking about them were gone in an instant.
Sorry for threadjacking your great article.
Scotty. The first person I thought of was you when I saw these. Then I wondered if somehow, someway they’d wind up in your possession. I forgot you’ve mentioned your “a tall drink of water” in the past and didn’t realize how tight it would be. These look like they’d be fun, but definitely not on any of todays highways, thats for sure. Great write up Michelle, I appreciated your research and learned a bit more about Malcolm Bricklin. Russel G. Great find!!! And Scotty, I just kept on learning about these little Subbies as I was reading your post.
You guys are a treasure trove of knowledge here on Barnfinds.
My very first foray into automotive journalism was a “road test” of a Subaru 360 for my college newspaper. I borrowed one from a local dealer and had a great time zipping around for the photographer and — on a few occasions — scaring myself witless. The Sube was no Austin-Healey Sprite. Nor, for that matter, was it a Honda N600.
The dealer threatened legal action (fortunately, he changed his mind) when the story was published. That didn’t faze me, though it was a couple of decades before I ventured to test a car again….
“The little Su-BAH-ru – Wow!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLPp-NFInXw
Thank you for posting that link Stembridge. Those commercials were great. I’ve never seen them before.
I actually used to own one of these things and when younger and stupider would drive it quite a bit. It’s like having a go-cart that you can drive legally on the street. You’ll also find out there are hills that you never realized were hills before. (And remember – your legs are the crumple zone!)
Anyone buying these will want to join the Subaru 360 Drivers’ Club for technical support and parts sources:
https://www.subaru360club.org/
Wow. Great commercials. Wonder if a modern Su Bah-ru flat four would fit in?
I bought one here in New Zealand in the early 80s. I think I paid $250 for it as it had been used by a vet for cats and their litters.It smelled awful. Went fine and I drove it to work for a bit – until it started to misfire and I gave it to my Dad to pay back a $700 loan (good deal!). I had tried the usual fixes but he quickly found the crankcase bolts had rattled loose – and it went great again.
He used it our lakehouse for years – then sold it to the local Subaru dealer who had never seen one. He paid $2K I think! It was originally sold new in NZ – an importer brought it about 15 I think.
We found it too large and replaced it with a Zoe Zipper.
Being a rear engine I would be interested in getting some measurements and trying to cram the drivetrain from a Smart for two in it and see if it works
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I had a 1969 Subaru Sambar 360 van. Picture a Wonder Bread loaf with wheels. It worked well around town. Yes I did get it to do 50 mph, but that was all it had on flat land in Florida. Was happiest at 35 or 40 mph. Rust eventually overtook it. Was a fun LITTLE vehicle and got plenty of looks any where it went.
Always fascinated by the engineering of microcars. My only venture into miniature motoring was a Fiat 600, and the brief time with an NSU. Can a Reliant van be called micro possibly not. Michelle if you and yours visit Boston UKs Bubble Car Museum Sue and I would like too treat you to lunch and admission to the museum, can’t do transport only got the SLK two seater at the moment. Kindest regards Roger and Sue.
The career of Malcolm Bricklin is a great study. There are several video documentaries out there of the guy that are very interesting.
He wanted to be unique in the auto business, and also make a lot of money. I’m not sure about the money part, but the uniqueness of what he offered cannot be argued with.
What ended up killing the 360 was increasing safety standards, to no one’s surprise.
If you have a chance to see the comerials link Stembridge posted above. Theres one on the highway. A tractor trailer passes one. YIKES!!! It puts things in a size perspective.
This could be fun if one could put a Honda motorcycle engine in for more power and reliability. I think this would be the car to have in a golf cart community such as the villages in Florida.
As a comparison to their 980 pounds, my basic Cub Cadet riding mower weighs about 400 pounds.
A friend of the family bought one of these for his wife to drive on her Avon route. It was a leftover’69- and he bought it in ‘71!
Paid next to nothing for it. She got 50+ mpg puttering around our rural area. He loved it- she hated it!
My friend’s brother bought one of these when he got his license. Talk about scared ****less to be riding down the road in it in the back seat.
Death trap.
At a stop light I could walk across the intersection faster than one of these could get across.