How The Tiny Subaru 360 Almost Killed Subaru

In this captivating video, we journey back in time to explore the incredible story of the '60s microcar that nearly spelled disaster for Subaru in the American market-the tiny Subaru 360.
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Пікірлер: 32

  • @MikeSamuelsII-ve8gp
    @MikeSamuelsII-ve8gp4 ай бұрын

    I had a '71. It was a lot more fun when we put a VW Bug drivetrain in it. It has so far been the only car I have owned that could wear tires from a Vespa scooter.

  • @sunbeam8866

    @sunbeam8866

    4 ай бұрын

    A VW engine, would quickly wear-out tires from a Vespa!

  • @5610winston
    @5610winston4 ай бұрын

    The 360 was a fine car for what it was intended to be in its home market, but it was not suitable for US roads and traffic conditions. Simlar models (isetta, BMW 600, Messerschmitt) from European manufacturers fared little better in the US market. Current Subaru models are now among the best in the world at their price point. Love my six-speed Crosstrek.

  • @andrewdonohue1853

    @andrewdonohue1853

    3 ай бұрын

    i also have a 6 speed crosstrek, it's a great little car at 25K brand new, and it holds it's value very well. great on gas, incredibly capable in bad weather and a manual. im quite aggravated they no longer offer a crosstrek with a clutch, i will keep it as long as i can because i find it very unlikely i will ever buy a CVT subaru.... manual, yes. CVT, you can have it.

  • @AmmoMaster
    @AmmoMaster4 ай бұрын

    My first car in the mid 70's at age 14 was a !970 360 Young, Yellow with black and white striped roof. I loved that car, had so much fun driving it around! Great car, completely acceptable!

  • @weefek
    @weefek4 ай бұрын

    90s and early 2000's subarus are the best subarus, regardless of head gasket issues on certain 2.5L models. As a 'home mechanic' pulling an engine and doing a head gasket isn't the worst / hardest thing in the world. Everything else is great, except for the tendency to rust at the rear of the rear wheel , rear quarter. I have a 98 Legacy and it's been through many winters. ZERO RUST anywhere except the rear quarters near the rear wheels. The entire front looks brand fucking new. Same with the hood, trunk, doors, etc. It's actually pretty insane. 2.2L which is a very bulletproof engine. Frame and floors are not perfect but not rusted / rotted at all. Big comparison to my previous mk2/mk3 Volkswagen experience, where the engines were completely bulletproof (minus CIS / Bosch Injection) but the cars rusted out and became useless far earlier than any of the mechanicals of the cars.

  • @rberth9016
    @rberth90164 ай бұрын

    I love my 2005 Outback XT!... I'm happy Subaru endured here in the US😊

  • @maxhand1562
    @maxhand15624 ай бұрын

    I do remember a car lot with these 360s that I would regularly walk by when I was in elementary school. I thought they were neat and had I been old enough to do so, I would have considered one. It seems like the wheels would often not quite be straight on them, as if they would have folded up beneath them had a giant picked them up.

  • @weefek
    @weefek4 ай бұрын

    If there was a car that could be bought for $11k new this day it would sell the fuck out immediately.

  • @williamegler8771
    @williamegler87714 ай бұрын

    How could the 0 to 60 time be in the 40 sec range when the top speed was 55 mph?

  • @danielulz1640

    @danielulz1640

    4 ай бұрын

    Tailwind !

  • @TimelessCarTales

    @TimelessCarTales

    4 ай бұрын

    got that dawg in it

  • @drfalcon4102
    @drfalcon41024 ай бұрын

    Years ago, I worked in a AMC dealership, who also sold Subarus,,,The FF-1 was a GREAT little car, only problem was Rust,, Southern Florida is not kind on Metal.

  • @ilovetotri23
    @ilovetotri232 ай бұрын

    Great Video! I can be debated which company perfected the boxer engine but I suggest for all of the advantages it offers, it posses more negatives. Just my thought. Great video! Thanks.

  • @nygelmiller5293
    @nygelmiller52934 ай бұрын

    Very very clear picture!

  • @sunbeam8866
    @sunbeam88664 ай бұрын

    As I recall, Consumer Reports summed up their Subaru 360 reveiw with "We can't imagine any used car that would be worse than a new Subaru 360, and we can imagine some pretty hairy used car deals."

  • @mccrackenphillip
    @mccrackenphillip4 ай бұрын

    Note the Young SS was the higher performance version

  • @pcno2832
    @pcno28324 ай бұрын

    8:20 "0 to 60 was somewhere in the 40 second range, with a top speed of around 55 MPH"?? How can the top speed be only 55 when it can get to 60 in 40 seconds? As for the doors, I wonder whey they didn't just install an interlock to keep the car from starting unless the doors were fully latched.

  • @jamesuthmann940
    @jamesuthmann9403 ай бұрын

    Here's a channel by a mechanic who has multiple Subaru 360s, and specializes in quirky cars like this: www.youtube.com/@2stroketurbo .

  • @PatrickBaptist
    @PatrickBaptist9 күн бұрын

    You should do a video about how subaru cars today suck so back, 2018 to current models they will kill the battery and then won't start, sometimes even before they have 500 miles on them, I know because when people call their insurance or use onstar, they get me once they have been waiting a few hours and are mad... Everytime I have to hear some subby customer fuss at me like it's MY fault they made a sucky purchase like I made their car I just wanna wrap my mouse cord around my neck and clock out for good LOL. But seriously subaru's cars are so unreliable today, class action is on going.

  • @marjoseph2311
    @marjoseph23114 ай бұрын

    Wait. Ai generated thumbnail?

  • @morkelork4730

    @morkelork4730

    3 ай бұрын

    Sadly, yeah. Can't be too hard to put some effort into making an actual thumbnail w/ actual photo's, but I guess that'd bee too much effort for a clickbaity video

  • @gregquinn6882
    @gregquinn68824 ай бұрын

    ❤😊

  • @jarikinnunen1718
    @jarikinnunen17184 ай бұрын

    Japanese gangster drove it in movie!😆

  • @eisernherz3929
    @eisernherz392927 күн бұрын

    the better käfer

  • @PockyFiend
    @PockyFiend4 ай бұрын

    I love the AI-created cars you feature on your thumbnails.

  • @_M_O_E_

    @_M_O_E_

    4 ай бұрын

    Looks like a Hindustan ambassador. Literally I only clicked to say that isn't a Subaru 360

  • @alain99v6
    @alain99v64 ай бұрын

    who edited and narrated this ? 66 mpg written on the video narrator: 16 mpg , MalcomE ... MalcomE ???? can't even spell a famous name in the car industry

  • @nygelmiller5293
    @nygelmiller52934 ай бұрын

    The roof was fibreglass or plastic? Come on! Saving weight isn't the only consideration. That's not safe, if in high winds, a tree falls on the roof! And ut's true, such leisurely acceleration IS dangerous. When the U.K. was in the European Union, they banned Citroen's 2CV model, and Fuat's 500 model for such dangerously slow performanxe. Quite right too! And I'm just as disgusted by the unconvincingly cheery music, and the flippant commentary - which, when these points come up, cheerfully dismisses them, and shifts to calling this uniquely styled car AN ICON. An icon - just a dangerous one!

  • @pcno2832

    @pcno2832

    4 ай бұрын

    Well, it was safer than a motorcycle and appealed to some buyers who would have chosen a bike over a more expensive car. But the limited power would be a problem on the roads of many countries. My sister had one when the speed limit in the USA was only 55, but even then, a woman chased down my father when he was driving it and told him it should not be allowed on the road in this country. I'll venture a guess that it was taking too long in getting out of her way.

  • @sunbeam8866

    @sunbeam8866

    4 ай бұрын

    Many years after tey were sold here, an Autoweek magazine review stated these were " designed to get up 50 mph, then pitch into oncoming traffic"! 🙂

  • @5610winston

    @5610winston

    4 ай бұрын

    It is a fine car for the conditions in its home market at the time of its production, but by 1968, Datsun and Toyota were selling their 1200s, Corollas, and Coronas in the US market alongside Opel Kadetts, SAAB 95 and 96, Volve 122 and 14x series, Fiats, Renault, Citroen Ami, an array of Volkswagens andd dozens of other models better suited to the US roads.