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Subaru 1000 – Characteristics as an FWD Car

Κέντρο Περιστροφής Συστήματος Διεύθυνσης

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The Subaru 1000 adopts the center pivot steering system whereby the brake drums are separated from wheels and the kingpin axis line is aligned with the tire centerline.
When the brakes are located inside the wheels as in commonly adopted steering systems, it is difficult to insert the kingpin into the wheel and it is impossible to align the tire centerline with the kingpin axis line.

Features of the center pivot steering system

• Tire friction with the ground surface is minimized and steering effort during low speed driving is lightened.
• Weight under the spring is mitigated, ground contact of the tire is improved and better performance is realized in terms of ride quality and running stability because road impacts are not so quickly transmitted to the handle.
• Since a larger steering angle can be secured even in the same size tire house, it is possible to reduce the turning radius.

(Note) Because an aluminum alloy front brake drum equipped with numerous fins is adopted, this provides excellent cooling effect

(Source: Extracted from the Subaru 1000 Sales Sheet 1966-1)

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Why select the horizontally opposed engine? (2)

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An important element in the symmetrical AWD cars of Subaru is the horizontally opposed engine, i.e. power unit. Subaru mounted the horizontally opposed engine for the first time in the Subaru 1000 and over the next 40 years has refined this extremely unusual automobile power unit. Subaru selected the horizontally opposed engine because it contains a number of elements that make it ideal as the power unit for four-wheel-drive vehicles. How much did the engineers who developed the Subaru 1000 know about the potential of the horizontally opposed engine? Here, we have collected the testimony of engineers who worked on development at the time to find out why they chose the horizontally opposed engine.

Shinroku Momose, who was the automobile design leader for Subaru at the time, told designers that the engine for the FWD sedan to be newly developed could be any type so long as it satisfied the following five conditions.

Since the vehicle is FWD, locate the deferential gear in the center of the car body in order to make the drive shaft operating angle as small as possible.
Since the locations of pedals are decided to make driving easy for the driver, these cannot be changed.
The engine height has to be low in order to keep the center of gravity down and increase the degree of flexibility in body design.
Since the vehicle is FWD, the front overhang needs to be shortened.
Vibration should be reduced in order to enhance the ride quality.
Mr. Motomitsu Honda, who was an engineer in the engine design department at the time, looks back as follows.
“Mr. Momose was not fussy about the type of engine. Since top priority is given to the people riding the vehicle, he presented the required dimensions and performance and said that any type of engine would suffice providing that the engine and mission met those conditions. We generated all the ideas we could think of and eventually narrowed these down to three possible plans.”

Development of the FWD car engine

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Mr. Yoshio Akiyama
Manager, No. 1 Engineering Department, Mitaka Plant, Fuji Heavy Industries

Needless to say, the engine is the heart of the car. This makes it all the more appealing. The top-class engineers who build such engines are endowed with a common appeal. It is not simple or flippant but something more profound. Of course he possesses this charm.

This man thought deeply and for a long time in the course of building the Subaru 1000 engine. A lot of time and painstaking technology are needed in order to complete an engine, and the severity of this work comes across when speaking with this engineer. At the same time, one feels a sense of stature and solidity.

“We worked hard to build the Subaru 1000 engine. Whenever I work on an engine, I strive to build an engine that is reliable and fits well with the car as a product. I also have to build an engine that can rival other cars. In this case, I was especially motivated because we were building an FWD engine. First of all it was necessary to build an engine that was as light and compact as possible. Secondly, we had to maintain high output and high durability. For this reason, we developed a horizontally opposed aluminum alloy engine. I have confidence in it, and I’m sure you will see why when you drive the car.”

(Born in 1920, 46 years old (in 1966))

SUBARU1000 Launched in 1966

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The Subaru 1000 was presented to reporters on Oct. 21, 1965, at the 12th Tokyo Motor Show held at Harumi, Tokyo. The car adopted front-wheel drive, unusual for Japanese cars at that time, and was equipped with a horizontally opposed engine, which would later become main power unit for Subaru, inherited by model after model. The Subaru 1000 had assertively adopted extremely original high-technology mechanisms such as the front inboard brakes and dual radiators, such that some 30 new mechanical patents were acquired for this vehicle alone. Additionally, visitors to the motor show did not notice that the engine was running during the two minute trial-operation due to it’s quietness.

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History of Development of Subaru 1000

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1. The idea came from the electric car production plan

The 1500-cc passenger vehicle, the “Subaru 1500” (Model code “P-1”), which was completed in 1954 as a result of Fuji Heavy Industries’ first attempts to produce passenger vehicle, unfortunately did not reach the mass production stage, due in part to the fact that the mass production setup and retail environment were not fully established at the time. However, even though this project never materialized, the engineers of Fuji Heavy Industries never gave up on their dream to develop a compact-size passenger vehicle. In 1960, originating out of the electric car development plan being advanced by Fuji Heavy Industries at the time, the A5 compact vehicle project was launched, and by 1963 a prototype of a 1 liter air-cooled horizontally opposed engine front-wheel drive vehicle had been completed. At the same time, examination was conducted on a smaller compact vehicle, the A4, from 1961, and these prototype models led on to development of the 63A (Subaru 1000) beginning in 1963.

FWD or RWD?

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Here lies the origin of “FF” - a word so commonly used today to refer to “FWD”.
In the design of the A4, there was intense debate within the Fuji Heavy Industries engineering department as to whether to adopt an FWD or an RWD vehicle. At one point it looked as though the RWD plan would prevail, however, due to propeller shaft problems that came to light in P-1 and the need to respond to future higher speeds, it was eventually decided to adopt FWD. Concerning hill climbing performance, which was one of the issues in FWD development, as a result of conduct tests on hilly roads in various areas, it was decided that the front weight distribution should be 60 percent or more. In the course of these discussions, a report entitled “Concerning Vehicle Performance” was prepared and in this recommendations for the type of cars to be aimed for by Subaru were made.

(In Japan, front-wheel drive cars are commonly called “FF” (Front engine, Front-wheel drive) cars. The term “FF” actually originates from an abbreviation that Subaru engineers were using internally on their development of the Subaru 1000. As Subaru started using the term in brochures as a catchy acronym to promote the front-wheel drive of the Subaru 1000, it spread outside Subaru and eventually became a common word to refer to front-wheel drive vehicles in general.)

'Concerning automobile performance'

1. Considering the size, adopt a layout that offers good interior comfort, wide trunk space and plenty of baggage room inside the car and makes it easy to conduct maintenance inspections.
2. Strive to keep weight down.
3. Adopt four-wheel independent suspension in order to enhance ride quality and stability.
4. Aim for good durability based on painstaking design and practical durability testing.
5. Secure reliability from low speeds to high speeds by improving in mountain and high-speed testing.

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Enhanced Test Facilities

In 1964, a 1.6 kilometer test course was completed on the grounds of Gunma Plant in Ohta City, Gunma Prefecture prior to completion of the prototype vehicle.
When the Subaru 1000 was developed, there were still no standards for collision safety in Japan. However, Fuji Heavy Industries was among the first to pay attention to collision safety and conducted independent tests entailing collisions into a barrier at 40 km/h in which it confirmed that survival space is secured.

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SUBARU 1000 Launched in 1966

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The first thing we will touch on is Subaru’s car making of nearly a half century ago. This might be before you were even born. However, this isn’t just some simple tale about the good old days. It is a documentary about persons who tookon the challenge of creating new technology in an era when there was very little accumulated information or technical knowledge, and even tools were not sufficiently available.

As the name indicates, the Subaru 1000 was a four-door sedan with a 1,000-cc displacement engine that was unveiled in 1965. This was only seven years after the first car that Subaru had introduced to the market: the Subaru 360, a lightweight kei car with a 360-cc air-cooled two-cycle engine (a kei car is a unique designation used in Japan to denote lightweight compact vehicles that are different from larger cars with a larger displacement, and are accorded favorable treatment in regards to taxes and other legalities).

During those seven years, the Subaru 360 had enjoyed impressive sales, and car ownership was becoming a reality for ordinary Japanese people. It was around this time that car population was starting to grow rapidly in the country along with color TV sets and air conditiners (“cooler” in Japan) as the “three C treasures” that represented affluence.Carmakers other than Subaru also introduced 1,000-cc class passenger vehicles such as the Corolla (introduced by Toyota in 1966), the Sunny (introduced by Nissan in 1966), and the Familia (introduced by Mazda in 1963).

After its unveiling, the Subaru 1000 went on sale on May 14, 1966. It was the year that FHI’s new headquarters building “Subaru Building” was completed (January 10) and the Beatles made their first visit to Japan causing such excitement in the country (June 29).

The Subaru 1000, which went on sale amidst this vibrant atmosphere, was also filled with the overflowing energy of Subaru engineers of that time. That passion for creating automobiles, as well as the mechanisms that could be considered as extremely distinctive and even bold, have been inherited without change by Subaru car manufacturing of today.

Development of a 4-wheel drive prototype

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In the spring of 1970, responding to a proposal from the power distribution department of Tohoku Electric Power Company, the Subaru dealership Miyagi Subaru completed a prototype model of a four-wheel drive remodeled Subaru 1000 van in approximately 10 months. For the rear-wheel drive system, the Nissan Bluebird drive system was utilized and a sedan semi-trailing arm was used for the rear suspension. After conducting running tests for actual road use, Miyagi Subaru brought this vehicle to Fuji Heavy Industries and proposed that it undergo production. FHI engineers immediately took in the proposal and got to work on design and production and the first prototype of the Subaru 1300G four-wheel-drive van was exhibited at the 1971 Tokyo Motor Show. Seven more Subaru 1300G van prototypes were later manufactured and vehicles were sold not only to Tohoku Electric Power but also Iiyama Agricultural Cooperative Association and Hakuba Village Office in Nagano Prefecture and the Defense Agency (current Ministry of Defense).

Tohoku Electric Power Company, which consigned the development, had until then used hooded jeep type four-wheel-drive vehicles in order to conduct maintenance/inspections of power equipment. During the snow season and so on, such vehicles were drafty, the heating didn’t work, they had poor fuel economy due to their heavy weight, and a great burden was thus placed on workers who used them. Accordingly, the company realized there was a need for a passenger vehicle-type four-wheel drive vehicle that was light and offered good fuel economy and was equipped with a cabin for offering protection to passengers from wind and rain.

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The Subaru 1000, which had a longitudinally mounted and compact horizontally opposed engine with transmission located to the rear for driving the front wheels, realized symmetrical part-time four-wheel drive with a simple structure through fitting a transfer gear for switching between FWD and 4WD behind the transmission and also attaching a propeller shaft and rear deferential. This basic structure was subsequently inherited by the Leone and Legacy and became the starting point of the Subaru symmetrical AWD that continues today.

The oil crisis and advancement into the North American market
We will look at the period between 1971 and 1978 when the first generation Leone was manufactured.

The fourth Arab-Israeli war in October 1973 triggered oil producing countries to reduce production and the resulting oil price rise caused worldwide economic instability. In particular this had a large influence on Japan that got most of its energy from the Middle East, and the oil crisis was beginning to affect the lives of regular Japanese citizens. The increased cost and shortages of gasoline greatly reduced consumer willingness to purchase and the steadily increasing domestic demand for new cars suddenly dropped.

Facing these significant setbacks to the automotive industry, Subaru worked quickly to get back on track and our international sales did well. In 1974, the Subaru Brat, pickup truck version of the Leone, was released for the international market in an attempt to increase sales.

Subaru’s vehicle export business, which started with the export of 136 Subaru 360’s to the American-controlled Okinawa, was soon expanded to include South East Asian countries such as Thailand and Hong Kong. In 1967 production capacity was improved with the introduction of knockdown production of the Sambar in Taiwan which lead to 9,900 vehicles being exported the following year. In February of 1968, American Malcolm Bricklin founded Subaru of America (SOA) in Philadelphia. This lead to the Subaru 360 being introduced to the American market under the pretense of being a “low-maintenance cost vehicle that is cheaper than taking the bus”. Full scale exporting started with the release of the FF-1 and from 1969, exports mainly to America rapidly increased to 19,700 vehicles, and then on to 28,700 and 38,400 in 1971 and 1972 respectively.

The Gunma Yajima plant was established to handle the increased production requirements due to export demands of the American market. This plant was fully operational from 1974.

LEONE Launched in 1971

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We will be starting a new column featuring the Subaru Leone. The pioneering Subaru 1000 was developed by a group of inspired Subaru engineers who wanted to create the “ideal compact car”. Based on the groundbreaking technology and knowhow gained through this process, the Leone established the engineering style which was designed to “use the latest technology to appropriately satisfy the needs of society and the individual”.

Above all, engineers worked tirelessly throughout all Leone models to develop improved technology for “better exhaust emission regulation compliance and superior collision safety”. For example, engineers at that time changed the front suspension from the traditional wishbone design used in the Subaru 1000 to a new strut design. This was done in order to improve exhaust emissions and collision safety. The adoption of strut suspension secured more space in the engine compartment which allowed for a body that could absorb more impact force in the event of a collision.

This vehicle was also equipped with the same Subaru original combination of the horizontally opposed engine and front wheel drive as seen in the Subaru 1000.

The improvements made during the transition from the Subaru 1000 to the Leone started the trend of refinement which resulted in the advanced Subaru powertrain seen in today’s models. The spirit of the pioneering engineers involved with this development continues on and inspires our designers to create even better vehicles.

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The Subaru Leone coupe 1400 series

Size:Length 3,995 mm x Width 1,500 mm x Height 1,345 mm
Wheelbase: 2,455 mm
Tread:(Front) 1,260 mm (Rear) 1,205 mm
Min. ground clearance:170mm
Vehicle weight:755㎏
Riding capacity:Five persons

Engine:EA63
Model:Horizontally opposed four cylinder, water-cooled four-cycle
Displacement:1,361 cc
Max. output: 80 PS / 6,400 rpm
Max. torque: 10.5 kg•m / 4,000 rpm

Suspension
Front: MacPherson strut independent suspension
Rear: Semi-trailing arm independent suspension

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