GTP Cool Wall: 1958-1971 Subaru 360

1958-1971 Subaru 360

  • Total voters
    121
  • Poll closed .
GranTurismo916

GranTurismo916

15,465
United States
Orange County, NY
GTP_GT916
Nii916
1958-1971 Subaru 360 nominated by @PeterJB
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Engines: 0.35L I2 (Subaru EK31), 0.35L I2 (Subaru EK32), 0.42L I2 (Subaru EK51)
Power: 25-36 hp
Torque: 27 lb-ft.
Weight: 410 kg
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Drivetrain: Rear engine, rear wheel drive
Body Styles: 2-door microcar, 2-door microcar convertible, 2-door wagon
Additional Info: "Nicknamed "The Ladybug" in Japan and got its original name from its 360 cc engine."​
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A Japanese equivalent of the Fiat 500 that doesn't quite reach the same level of chic. But the Custom so very nearly bumps it up to Sub Zero.

Just Cool, then.
 
Uncool. Just look at it. Just...no.


I'd glance at it. But I wouldn't stop.
 
Japan's attempt at a Fiat 500 and just became a comedy car.

Uncool.
 
It's a super cute, tiny, two-stroke RR that spits flames and produces up to 100hp/L (well, it's a two-stroke, but still). Totally Sub Zero. A happy little car with history, and it isn't the first or even the second car people think of when they think of a rear-engined "people's car," which adds to the intrigue.
 
It's currently the slowest car that has ever gone around Cape Ring Periphery in my GT6 time trials of factory cars. 28 seconds slower than the 2nd-slowest, a Fiat 500.

And it's very ugly. Whose idea was it to divide the windows into three sections?

It's nicknamed the ladybug. What is it, the hideous wife of the Volkswagen Beetle?

Seriously uncool.
 
Only the first one in the OP (I googled to check that this wasn't the cause after seeing said image). All other images of a standard 360 I can find show a similar camber on their rear wheels. Of course, I understand that that's an intentional part of the design, but upon first seeing one, all I see is a car with something wrong (and aesthetically unpleasing) with its rear wheels.
 
Yeah the wheels are actually sort of hanging down in that first pic, slightly alarmingly. I love it, terrifying little rear-engined two-stroke thing that it is. It's about as literal as a car gets, or got. SZ.
 
Why are the rear wheels cambered, anyway? Would it have something to do with having more weight in the rear because of the engine?
 
Vegard
Looks like an Urkel-mobile* - SU

*Yes, I know he drives an Isetta.
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If you know why'd ya say it!!! Us Urkel fans will not go unheard


*just joking around as usual


As for the car I always thought these things were somewhat cool like a Japanese beetle for taking a fun road trip with.
 
I've never liked the 360. I'm not sure why, but it doesn't seem like a car I'd want. I'd love a Fiat 500 or BMW Isetta or an original Mini, but this just doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's the styling; I find it a somewhat ugly without any real merit. It doesn't seem like a car with much depth, rather it's just a generic 50's microcar with some styling of sorts, a basic interior, and an engine that makes enough power to move the car. I don't find it much of anything, but I'd say it's uncool for leaving me totally cold.

JMoney
Why are the rear wheels cambered, anyway? Would it have something to do with having more weight in the rear because of the engine?
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I don't know if you'll actually see this or not, but I'm going to respond anyway because I think I can make a reasonable point. This car, in theory, seats 4. However, it only weighs 410 kilos, so 4 people could increase the weight by 60-70%, also increasing the force on (and therefore deflection of) the springs by the same amount. The odd looking camber is there because they used a very simple swing arm suspension design in an application that required a lot of travel, otherwise the car would be riding on the bump stops when full of people. It's something you can visualise more easily when you look at a small modern car full of people. A supermini or city car with 4-5 people in it will ride very low at the back, because a large proportion of the weight on the rear wheels is from passengers. The lighter the car, the softer the springs can be while delivering the same ride/handling characteristics.
 
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Odd looking combination of Fiat 500 and Volkswagen Beetle. I'm not a massive fan of it, but as long as it isn't yellow or brown it has the similar effect on people as the 500 and the Beetle. Cool.
 
Wish we got the 360 with 36 horsepower in GT6. The one we have now has much less than that and maxes out at 51 mph.

Anyway, I voted "sub zero". One of the most iconic Japanese classics, cute styling, and has been in every GT except GT3 (I think).
 

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