This is another first for CC: a curbside Subaru 600, also known as the Rex 550 in Japan. Cohort Rivera Notario spotted it in Santiago, Chile, and reading up on it surprised me, since based on its looks, I assumed the engine had already gravitated to the front. And I knew that later Rexes were FWD. But not this one.
The view from the rear makes that pretty obvious. These cars are actually still a direct development from Subaru’s first kei car, the famous 360 that was imported to the US (full story here). The early version of the Rex still had the two-stroke engine too, but in 1977, a totally new four-stroke twin with 550cc replaced that smoky little stink-bomb. It churned out 31 hp. This little twin went on to be used in the next generation Rex, now sitting in the front. That generation was sold in Europe; possibly this one too. And obviously in Chile, among other export markets.
It sure looks like a scaled-down version of the larger Leone that was sold in the US, including as a 4WD version which started the whole Subaru AWD phenomena here.
Related CC reading: Subaru 360 Subaru Leone 4WD Wagon
Wow thats quite a catch, Ive never seen a live one read about them sure but I presumed they’d all gone the way of the Dodo.
I thought these looked quite homely at the time. But given the direction modern styling has gone, it doesn’t look entirely out of place today.
It’s funny that you mentioned the direction of a modern styling…
Look at the new Renault Twingo – short chassis, four doors, engine in the back. Isn’t it quite similar to that Subaru?
I had to look it up to make sure because I didn’t believe it, but I’ll be dammed! It really is a rear engine. How does a layout that was dismissed as antiquated in the 60s, in light of new-age Fiat 128s and Golfs etc, suddenly come back into vogue? AFAIK rear-engined cars had high-speed stability and tail-happy cornering issues. Have the laws of physics somehow been overcome?
Renault has just reincarnated the Dauphine!
Have the laws of physics somehow been overcome?
Somewhat! It’s not the most glamorous topic, so it isn’t written about that often – and frequently misunderstood when it is – but the work that has been done with electronic stability control in the last two decades is incredible.
For that reason, and a couple others, I think the rear-engine layout is going to make a huge comeback eventually. FF is slightly better in regards to space utilization, but a big, empty space up front is ideal for designing crumple zones around a car. It’s also the optimal layout for electric drivetrains and sending power to the rear wheels almost always yields better driving dynamics. It gives you a weight balance closer to 50:50 with driver/passengers inside the car and it’s less work for the front tires to handle.
I actually didn’t know that Renault was building a rear-engined car again, but that new Twingo looks great!!
“a big, empty space up front is ideal for designing crumple zones around a car”
Until someone loads something solid enough to make a difference. Not an issue for the Twingo apparently (no front trunk), but I’m not convinced on the packaging efficiency vs a conventional fwd hatchback. In particular the high floor mandated by the rear engine, and there is surely some dead space in the front.
Mind you if it drives as well as I’d hope I could live with that!
Back to the subject car, I didn’t realise Subaru kept building rear-engined cars until 1980, and vans until 2012!
I’m not sure that any piece of cargo, even a really heavy one, would have such an impact since it isn’t attached to the unibody structure directly like the engine is.
Front engine/front drive with a transverse engine is no doubt the absolute best layout for space efficiency. The cargo area up front on a rear-engined car is limited by the suspension and steering gear and the rear space is limited by the engine. It’s two smaller spaces vs. one bigger one, which probably results in a similar overall volume on similar cars – but most people would consider a single, larger space more usable.
Maybe boxer engines will also make a comeback? The BMW i3 has a parallel twin mounted on its side next to the electric motor. They only use it as a generator, but I think that’s probably the kind of thing that will be commonplace one day in hybrid setups.
I’m not referring to weight, more something (not sure what) that would interfere with the desired crush characteristics of the front end, given how precisely that is worked out nowadays.
The Twingo doesn’t appear to have any cargo area at the front, just some fluid reservoirs & similar under a tiny hood. I’m not sure what is underneath that but the nose appears longer than the Toyota/Scion iQ. I agree on the boxer engine, although I think it is less useful for driving the wheels as it would presumably have to be mounted longitudinally and therefore require a power-sapping (vs not having one) hypoid crownwheel & pinion.
Looks like a Leone that went through the car wash and was left on the hot-dry cycle too long. This is a very interesting find though – I’ve never seen one before and had no idea this shape existed.
Wow, this is so cool! I never would have guessed Subaru sold these in South America, or Europe for that matter. I always figured they were RHD only, strictly for the home market. A little reading reveals that Suzuki apparently sold a LHD Fronte in Chile, so perhaps there were a few others out there as well.
All of the rear-engined kei cars are pretty neat. The only thing that gives this one away is the cooling vents – if not for that, I would take it for a FWDer as well. Knowing that these exist makes me want to go down to Chile and pick one up. I’m sure they can’t be too expensive to purchase and they’re all beyond the 25-year import restriction. Cars like this are so foreign on every level to the US, and having one here is incredibly appealing to me for some reason (obviously not as an everyday driver, though). I’ve been known to spend hours and hours looking through Mexican classified ads… guess I should find a good South American site to waste away hours on as well.
I don’t think I’d want to drive this one all the way back home, though. In a perfect world of unlimited money and vacation days, I’d pick up an IKA Torino to tow it back with while I was down there!
I don’t know the last day I saw one of these – Suzuki dominated the local market with this particular size car, and I only know of one survivor among the front engined 600/700 series that replaced it. That one belongs to a guy who installs stereo equipment – his second car is a highly modified Tercel and the little Subie has a sticker saying “My other car makes you look!”