Subaru 360
Subaru 360 – the first mass-produced car from the Japanese company Subaru, owned by Fuji Heavy Industries. The idea was to be a small vehicle with an engine capacity not exceeding 360 cm ³ accessible to the average citizen of Japan. When designing the car cared about it, to meet the requirements of the class kei car (body size and engine capacity). The model was one of the smaller kei tsars, although it was classified slightly higher than microcars such as the BMW Isetta, was also the first kei tsar with four-wheel drive and room for four passengers. In the years 1958-1971 produced 392 000 units of the model.
The model name is derived from the engine with a capacity of 356 cm ³ (rounded with an excess of – 360 cm ³).
The car was powered by a small, air-cooled, two-stroke, two-cylinder inline engine with a capacity of 356cc rear-mounted. It was unusual for the time of solution production model, most of the cars produced were using at least four-cylinder liquid-cooled four-stroke engines, which are mounted on the front. The two-stroke engine scooter has adapted with a lower weight, simpler structure, easier start at low temperatures, and higher power than the four-stroke engine, this is mainly due to the fact that the whole cycle is carried out in two strokes, not four. However, the engine produces more impurities. Like the Saab 93 and other vehicles with small two-stroke engines, was required oil blending with petrol (had to add in the appropriate proportion of oil to Baku). Since 1967, the task is responsible lubrication system "Subarumatic".
Small engine coupled with a four-speed manual gearbox allow the car to accelerate to about 97km/h (60mph). The vehicle weighed less than 500kg, which allowed to achieve fuel consumption of about 3.6 dm ³ to 100km. The Consumer Reports test the acceleration time from 0 to 50mph (80km/h) was 37 seconds, compared with 14.5 sec Beetle falls quite poorly. In 1958, when production started, the engine generates power of 16.3hp (12 kW). At the end of the production capacity was increased to 26hp (19 kW), the engine was also available with two carburettors, its strength was estimated at 36.7hp (27 kW).
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