Posted recently on Motor Trend Magazine's online site:Four U.K. Subaru enthusiasts are teaming up to run the Liège-Brescia-Liège historic rally that covers 2000 miles of public European roads including Italy's Stelvio and Gavia Passes. The team will run the rally, celebrating its 50th anniversary, in two examples of a Subaru model also celebrating its 50th anniversary -- the Japanese automaker's original 360cc microcar.
The Liege-Brescia-Liege rally is the only International rally to be open exclusively to sub-500 cc cars and is known to be among the toughest automotive events for both drivers and automobiles. One saving grace of the current iteration of the event is that it will run its course over 10 days with time to rest, rather than the three-day, non-stop format of the initial running 50 years ago. Several countries are traversed in the course of the rally, including Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Slovenia. The event runs from July 11-20.
The Subaru 360s to be campaigned in the event are 1967 and 1968 models, each of which is equipped with a two-cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke engine. Power, as expected, is modest: just under 20 horses. The newer of the two cars features a four-speed gearbox, while the older version makes due with just three forward gears. Both do without synchos in first gear and feature a "cruising speed" of around 50 mph -- as long as the road is fairly flat. Subaru 360s were in production for a total of 12 years, allowing for a production run of roughly 250,000 cars.
The two competing Subarus were located in Japan (the 360 was never officially sold in Europe) and shipped via container to the U.K. where they were restored and slightly modified for their 2000-mile challenge. Both cars feature modern radial tires, as well as modern shock-absorbers and new brakes.
The Liege-Brescia-Liege rally is the only International rally to be open exclusively to sub-500 cc cars and is known to be among the toughest automotive events for both drivers and automobiles. One saving grace of the current iteration of the event is that it will run its course over 10 days with time to rest, rather than the three-day, non-stop format of the initial running 50 years ago. Several countries are traversed in the course of the rally, including Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Slovenia. The event runs from July 11-20.
The Subaru 360s to be campaigned in the event are 1967 and 1968 models, each of which is equipped with a two-cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke engine. Power, as expected, is modest: just under 20 horses. The newer of the two cars features a four-speed gearbox, while the older version makes due with just three forward gears. Both do without synchos in first gear and feature a "cruising speed" of around 50 mph -- as long as the road is fairly flat. Subaru 360s were in production for a total of 12 years, allowing for a production run of roughly 250,000 cars.
The two competing Subarus were located in Japan (the 360 was never officially sold in Europe) and shipped via container to the U.K. where they were restored and slightly modified for their 2000-mile challenge. Both cars feature modern radial tires, as well as modern shock-absorbers and new brakes.
What is the Subaru's primary competition in this microcar shootout? There are plenty of choices: the BMW Isetta, Citroen 2CV, and numerous Messerschmitts all seem compelling adversaries. But according to driver Craig Lawson, it's the car that onlookers tend to mistake the 360 for the most -- the Fiat 500.
"It only becomes slightly annoying when spectators guess it's a Fiat 500," says Craig. "That car in faster Abarth form won the original 1958 rally and there is a factory team entered for this one, so the Fiat is our key competitor."
Seems old rivalries die hard.
Seems old rivalries die hard.
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