Subaru’s weird and rare SVX sports coupe was a grand touring enigma, with a potentially great car held back in a few significant ways. These were not the easiest vehicles to live with maintenance-wise, and finding a good one today is a challenge as they’ve been cheap and flashy for too many years. This 1992 model here on craigslist is listed for $4,500 and benefits from some important recent maintenance. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Pat for the find.
The SVX came with one engine, a 3.3L flat-six that generated a healthy 231 b.h.p. The one glaring issue in my mind was the lack of a manual transmission that could withstand the demands of such a powerful motor. Subaru claimed there was no manual gearbox on the shelf that would work, so a four-speed automatic with a tendency to overheat was installed. Also, don’t forget the dual-pane power windows, with the smaller frame perfect for drive-thrus.
Later SVXs had some of the transmission issues worked out, but the seller of this early car claims he’s addressed this common failure point with proactive maintenance. He notes a “recent auto trans overhaul” and lots of maintenance records from the previous owner, who was the original caretaker. Still, plenty of these have undergone manual transmission swaps, and I’d be inclined to do the same with this one.
Despite having a cocktail of components that should have led it to greatness, the SVX remains a strange footnote in grand touring history. I still the looks are striking today, and a flat-six not found in a Porsche is always intriguing. However, as someone who purchased and soon regretted buying a 1988 Subaru XT6, I’ve learned to sworn off any flat-sixes that aren’t in the back of a P-car.
A face only a mother could love…
If your mother had taste and style… I own two of these, one with close to 300k on the clock, and I can categorically state that these are great cars once the tranny issues are addressed. *Very* underrated and underpriced, which for the savvy buyer is a really good thing.
JP… Could you be my neighbor?? Haha
The fellow that lives down the street from me has two of these. For some reason I always had an affinity for SVXs, despite never even sitting in one… Or so I thought.
Back when these were new and I was a kid, my rarely seen cousin rolled up with his new fancy sports car. For years I thought it was a 300ZX. But in my lone ride the only thing I recalled was that it was white, that it had automatic seat belts, and it had crazy windows like a DeLorean. This wasn’t long after I first saw Back to the Future…
It wasn’t until i moved into my current house and i saw my neighbor drive by that everything clicked… Had I really been a closet Subaru lover all these years??
Awesome looking car! I remember when the Subaru SVX (Alcyone SVX in Japan) was on the market. I was also disappointed when it was discontinued. I don’t know why Subaru lost money on the car. I thought it was Subaru’s best looking car at that point, next to the Legacy that was also making its North American debut.
I think, as with many halo cars of the period, they cost more to build than the sales price. And it was, and is, hard to compete with the likes of BMW, Mercedes, etc. in the GT sector. Back then no one considered Subaru a performance car company, hence the disappointing sales…
Really? I wonder why it was so difficult to compete. I would’ve bought an SVX if I were in the market for one. At the time, I found it more attractive than anything offered previously by Subaru, before the Legacy.
Because they were expensive, and in a totally different class from any other Subaru. Their target market was Beemer and Benz buyers, and, unfortunately, they didn’t snag many of them.
Jeff,
I’ll forgive your lapse of memory regarding reliable flat sixes. TRY A CORVAIR! Less trouble prone than your Subie examples, and a whole lot less expensive than the vaunted P car. And, look ten times better than most examples of either I’ve seen, despite the youngest Corvair being almost 50 years old.
These boxer sixes are bulletproof. You rarely hear of engine problems, regardless of mileage, as long as you don’t overheat them. As for reliability, I’ll pit an SVX against a Corvair all day long, but that goes for any car of the period…
And I can attest that in over 200k of SVX driving I’ve never had a single engine-related failure, other than the odd sensor here and there. My 300k example still runs like new, or pretty close…
I always thought the SVX was uber cool especially that window within a window. Don’t call me Nostradamus yet, but I think this could become a valuable collector in years to come.
But then again, I still own stock in Commodore Computers so what do I know?
Thirty more cubic inches, plus fuel injection, better breathing heads, I agree with you. But I thought the discussion was overall reliability, and it’s hard to beat a Powerglide. Is your SVX anything more than a watercooled Corvair with better heads? There are guys putting Subies in Corvairs because of the advances in technologies since the Corvair was built, but who wants to run in an ugly Subie? Granted I’m old and think styling has downhill since the Sixties, but I don’t think Subie has ever built a good looking car (or SUV). Is there anyone that would defend the puppy nose on the 2006 Tribeca?
Once the tranny is sorted these cars are super reliable, and pretty much every SVX on the road today has resolved the issue. And yes, my SVX is more than a Corvair with better heads, just as your Corvair is more than a Model T with better seats. Styling is a matter of taste – plenty of guys out there that think any car post 1935 is a horror show.
I have to respectfully disagree with you. Except for the current Subaru models, I’ve never encountered (except for the Justy) an ugly Subie.
I remember the B9 Tribeca when it debuted, and at the time, I thought “WTF is that thing?!” I thought it was so hideous to look at. Times have changed, however, and now I find it quite good looking.
About the windows. The leetle ones weren’t just for drive-in or toll booth convenience; they were the only portions that opened. The rest of the glass is sealed, and probably another reason that the car was perceived more as quirky than faccionable. But love is what makes a Subaru a Subaru. There’s something / somebody for everyone…
Other than those horrid seatbelts, I always liked these cars.
I agree. What the hell were they thinking installing automatic shoulder harness? That’s never made any sense to me. Most drivers who wear seat belts will buckle up anyway, they don’t need that B.S. to complete the usage. If it weren’t for them, I would’ve bought the car in a heartbeat.
US Federal safety regs required cars produced after April 1st, 1989 (no foolin’) to have either dual airbags or automatic seat belts, so many cars got these mouse belts for a few model-years as a stopgap until the mfr. could develop a cost-effective dual airbag system. I think later SVXs got dual airbags instead of automatic belts.
SubGothius, FYI Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 required a passive restraint(airbag or the automatic belt) for the driver. It was updated in 1998 to require dual airbags.
The later models had normal seatbelts and dual airbags.
I’m not a fan of either automatic seat belts, or SRS Air Bags.
I really like the glass/door/roof treatment but it makes the rest of the car look ordinary and boring. Too bad the body of the car wasn’t a little more radical. At least the lighting, the wheels or wheel openings – something.
I’ve owned two, have a ’97 now. Bullet proof engines, reliable as the day is long. BTW, those wheels are on backward. Love these cars, nothing else like them.
A guy around the corner is putting in Subie motors in the VW buses….has many on back order at the moment. And talking of back order my local hero crusher has two of these put back along with the 260/280/300 ZX’s…..and a Convair or two….
@ SubGothius – I’ve never understood why the Govt. feels they have to regulate everything car makers put in their cars. I’m all for safety, but this is crazy!
When your job is to make rules, that is what you do. Knowledge of what you are regulating is optional.
Knowlwdge of what you are regulating is undesirable, you might do someone right.
As a former owner of several SVXs I found the small window-within-a-window rather unsuitable for drive-thrus actually. What the window was good at was providing good cabin ventilation without blowing right in your face. I echo the sentiment of others here that the EG33 flat six engine is fairly bulletproof, especially for a Subaru engine. It’s even a non-interference engine which means no serious damage to your valves if your timing belt breaks– just pop on another one. Not only are EG33s a popular choice for Vanagon conversions, they’re even used in airplanes (!) My last SVX, which I wish I still had, was a ’94 LS which was one of 2 years that Subaru built a sightly cheaper, lighter 2WD version. I didn’t need the additional expense of AWD for a summer-only car. It also had normal seatbelts and dual airbags. Sadly, I sold it to raise money for a wedding that never happened.
Unfortunately, some SVX parts are NLA, including, if I’m not mistaken, struts, and the windshield, which had a specific tint depending on the color of the car and listed for about $1200 because it was titanium coated!