Small Is Beautiful

Will at driver's door

Will found this on the side of the road, and after he told me about it I begged him to show me.

It’s tiny, rusty, and a little older than I expected. Like a very, very small VW Bus, it has a rear-mounted engine. I think it’s a Subaru Sambar, but that’s mostly based on the details I gleaned from the Subaru 360 article, which reveals that engine was probably air cooled, displacing 330 CCs, and producing under 40 HP.

US imports began in the mid-60s, but by 1969 Consumer Reports magazine branded the automobile “Not Acceptable” because of safety concerns and lack of power.

To hell with safety and power, I love this little thing. I want a small, fuel efficient car like this.

subaru sambar, van, car, small, k car, kei car, subaru, sambar, little

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2 Comments

  1. Pingback by » Smashitup Smashitup Smashitup! on September 28, 2007 12:01 pm

    [...] all my agitating for small, cheap, fuel efficient cars (and automotive metaphors), I figured I had to post this picture (and a [...]

  2. Comment by svetlana on June 12, 2008 6:11 am

    Algys Autos have them for sale as VW camper replicas……..so unique and such fun. Never seen anything like them.
    see them on http://www.algysautos.com

    Sveta

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