Behold the adorable appeal

In the era when the displacement of kei-cars was 360cc, the second-generation Subaru Sambar was popular for its design as well as its practicality. We asked Mr. Koji Ishikawa, who took part in an old car event for which only models with an engine displacement of 550 cc or less were eligible, in a beautifully restored Sambar, to tell us about its appeal.

Appreciation for large luggage spaces

The Subaru Sambar is a light commercial vehicle that went on sale in 1961. The engine is mounted under the rear floor of the vehicle body to act as a decoy, ensuring sufficient drive even when the cargo compartment is empty. This enables safe and stable driving performance, and is a body layout that has been used for many years only by Subaru among the Japanese car manufacturers that sell kei-cars.

The Sambar presented here is one of the vehicles that participated in the 12th U-550 Old Kei-Car Meeting held on 5 November 2023 in Ehime Prefecture, Japan; it is a second-generation model manufactured from 1966 to 1973, and is an early model without a dummy grille. The bumpers and other chrome parts were polished to a shine and fitted with white ribbon tires to match the chassis. The interior was also beautifully finished, and there was an atmosphere where the owner’s love could be deeply felt.

60’s Subaru is cuteness overload!!

“It’s been 22 years since I got this vehicle. It was given to me as it was, a car that had been restored by a neighboring sheet metal shop for a long time. I knew it hadn’t been running for years, so I said I would take over from him.”

The engine was running well and the exterior had been repaired to some extent, so the owner, Mr. Koji Ishikawa, worked on it little by little to bring it up to its current state. He originally loved Subaru 360s and has owned many of them. He still owns various small old Japanese cars, including a 1968 “360 Super Deluxe”, a 1971 Suzuki “Fronte” and a 1969 Nissan “Sunny” (late model).

“A long time ago, a friend of mine drove a 360. He had to give it up when he got married, and I took it over and that’s when I started driving the 360. I like the round design unique to this era because it’s cute.”

This time, as the distance from his home to the venue was less than 100 km, he drove himself. He also participated in the Osaka Retro Car Expo by driving himself. He has also been actively attending old car events around the country, such as the ‘Mojiko Retro Car Meeting’ using a loaded vehicle.

Mr. Ishikawa enjoys living with each car, including the Sambar, not for daily use but for events.