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Ultimate snow day? Prowling for fresh powder in this turbocharged toboggan.
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Films:
1970 Subaru 360: A Toy Van For The Street
Regarding the mirror stems and placement that are a distinctive feature of the front view of this car: these chrome mirrors seem to be the way the car was originally furnished from the dealership. When you Google Subaru 360 van, the images you find include almost exclusively this type of mirror. This specific car is also drilled along the lower edge of the front windows for a pair of mirrors, now removed. However this seems to be a later modification, perhaps by a prior owner. Because these front doors open from the front leading edge, and because the longest radius motion of the door is at the belt line, the lower edge of the window would be a poor location for any mirror to be mounted. There is some ‘tumblehome’ in the side window placement. The angle of these windows, above the belt line, sets the upper, chromed mirrors back a bit from the leading edge of the door. This saves the mirrors from impact with adjacent structure. For me personally, part of the appeal of the design is how successfully these kinds of features are integrated with the overall lines of the car. The attention to detail is one that you would expect to find on an up-market car.
We just got back (to Phoenix) from a trip to San Francisco, so I’m a day late for my Petrolcious fix. What a heavenly surprise to see our city so artfully showcased in such a sweet little peace, all around a rare jewel of a car and an owner. Thanks for a great start to my day, Scott and Petrolicious!
These post-war Japanese vehicles are so interesting. The amount of detailed design, engineering and care that went into these cars is just extraordinary. They were, of course, highly considered purchases in a era when Japan was emerging from the devastation of WWII. And so every little detail of the car is the product of careful design intent. The clearance lights in front. The way the rear view mirrors integrated with the doors. The flip up passenger compartment ventilation door on the front panel. All these details are so lovingly done.
