I hadn’t heard from my Bay Area pal William in quite a while when, in his social media feed, he recently posted: “I’ll probably need a car. An old manual transmission Subaru might fit the bill nicely for backcountry adventures to the East Side.”
I hear you, old friend, they just don’t make them like they used to. And while this old, but well-preserved, late 1970s Subaru is too far from the Bay Area, I believe it’s just what William is looking for. Early Subarus, who would have thought their appeal would be so long-lasting? The little oddballs that heralded a new era in ways we couldn’t have foreseen when they arrived in the 1970s.
But trailblazers they were, and the world has never been quite the same ever since. It’s the car and tech that Subaru was to build its legacy on, something Paul talked about a while ago. To sum it up, a compact passenger car offering 4WD for the masses, with accessible costs, cargo capacity, ease of use, and a reputation for near indestructibility (if the tin worm was kept at bay).
Upon arrival, their long-lasting relevance couldn’t have been quite foreseen, but it didn’t take long for them to find a loyal following. After that, as with all things cult, these early Subbies have remained around ever since. This one is a nice survivor that’s not really concours quality, but I’m sure some early-Subbie fan must be desiring just by looking at these photos.
While Paul talked about Subaru’s early 4WD days and its role in the US, Tatra87 spoke about the system’s origins with a Japanese find; the result of Subaru developing the technology at the request of the Tohoku Electric Company, and to be used on a fleet of Subaru 1000 light vans at their service. With the tech at hand, Subaru applied it to their FWD Leone cars in 1975; a novelty for the model line that had originally launched in 1971.
Now, as Paul previously mentioned there were caveats to this early 4WD setup; “we need to acknowledge that Subaru’s four wheel drive system of the times was strictly a part-time arrangement, since it lacked a center differential. Therefore, it was not full-time AWD, which was rightfully pioneered by the AMC Eagle.” But “… the Subaru was still the breakthrough 4WD passenger car, and there’s little doubt that its existence may have stimulated the Eagle to some degree or another.”
The face on this wagon belongs to the 1977-1981 years, one of the few exterior updates these Leone models got during their run. Admittedly, the 1971-1981 Leones were not the first Subarus to reach the US (or Latin America), since the earlier 1000 had been around in small numbers. And most of the sold ones were FWD models, but the 4WD option sounded like nothing at the time and found a nice niche of buyers. We know where that niche led to in the long run.
Let’s take a couple of close looks. The air-vents on the hood feel very 1970s Japanese style.
And here’s that logo we were to become so acquainted with. Not sure if I ever noticed that honeycomb pattern on the grille before.
Talking about 1970s Japanese styling, the Leones had it in spades. Not to Datsun’s otherworldly levels, but there’s a certain funkiness to the whole affair that’s so Japan of the time; from the shrunken coke-bottle styling, to prominent air vent slots, to the raised hind quarters and oversize vertical taillights. All that’s missing is period decals and trim, which this one probably lost during some recent respray.
I’m likely not helping fight stereotypes, but there’s a certain mental image I have of individuals who love old Subbies. Of those, my pal William fits them to a T; someone off the corporate grid, self-reliant, and trying to live as much as possible on his own terms. A polite, understanding, rugged individual, ready to deal with life’s adversities as they come. And look, I understand that unlike these oldies, new Subarus are somewhat fragile and rather finicky if not properly attended. Even if so. But if that sounds wrong for Subarus, well, what hasn’t gone that way with life in recent times?
So, William, I got your old Subaru ready to go. I only need to figure out the costs of customs and shipment. Perhaps I can gift wrap this one for you when, and if it ever, comes for sale.
Related CC Reading
Curbside Classic: 1979 Subaru Leone 4WD Wagon – The Prodigal Subie Returns (by Tatra87)
And if William doesn’t want it, I’ll take it 🙂
What a nice-looking, relatively unmolested, survivor. I’m sure that there’s at least one sitting under a tarp, or tree, or in a barn somewhere right now in Vermont…but it won’t be in as nearly nice a shape as this one in El Salvador.
Sadly, all of this generation Subaru in Vermont was well and truly dissolved in the monthslong annual salty-slush baths by the early ’90s.
That’s what I mean by not nearly as nice shape! More like a partially filled indentation in the ground.
I did actually see and stopped to look at a very well preserved Subie of this generation in the parking lot of an auto repair business in Shoreham Vermont a few years ago. Subaru has appropriately been called the “state car of Vermont”, a title also given at various times to SAAB and Jeep Cherokee. Looked for it every time we went by but after a year or so it disappeared, hopefully to be restored by an appreciative owner.
In 1977 while visiting my old college roommate in Boulder CO I went to a Ford dealer to look at the last year original Bronco, orange in color. The dealer also sold Subaru and had a yellow 4wd wagon in the showroom, the first time I’d ever seen one up close and was very impressed with it. Turns out a lot more of those Broncos have survived to the present vs. the Subies of that time.
Remarkable survivor. Sadly, I have not seen any of this generation for some years now.
I used to laugh at weird ’70s Japanese designs like Subaru’s, but given current styling trends, they don’t look so bad now.
Subaru was originally the Nakajima Aircraft Company, which produced good-handling fighters mainly for the Imperial Japanese Army. Their late-War designs were very competitive with ours, when they had fuel and good pilots available.
Amazingly good shape overall .
-Nate
I was looking for economical transport in the early ’80s. Looked at a LOT of vehicles–Hondas, Toyotas, Subarus, even a Vega.
The Subarus were uniformly beat to death. Broken dashboards, torn seats, smoking engines, dents and destruction. Every. Single. One.
Even the Vega looked better.
I’ve avoided Subaru ever since. I have no idea how they got their reputation for durability.
Friend of mine commutes about 70 miles round-trip to/from work. Has a “new” Subaru, ’cause the old one got to be a high-mileage unit with transmission problems. The solenoids in the transmission failed. On a GM, you buy solenoids for $50 each. On the Subaru, you buy the entire transmission valve body at $700.
Thanks for this writeup, which reminds me of a ’79 model I owned, a 2-wheel drive with a 5-speed tranny. As described, it was reliable and I found it to be quirky and fun to drive.
What got me started with the brand was a co-worker of mine had a ’78, and was an auto mechanic who was very meticulous and fussy about his cars. Living in NJ at the time, he had relatives in Texas and made several R/Trip visits with the car. “Not a peep out of it” he told me, and it stuck with me, also being hooked on practical and reliable transportation. My ’79 snapped a clutch cable, an easy fix, but that was the most I had to deal with.
Several decades since, we now have a Forester and Crosstrek as stablemates.
Had a silver or more gray 77. Bought it used in 88 for $500, rusted through but ran like new. Put a ton of miles on it and sold it to a neighbors kid who drove it back and forth to college and sold it off, again. Great little car, would love to find another. Since then, have owned 3 other Subarus, but none live up to the little Leone