When Everyone Has an Outback, You Need a Subaru Like This to Stand Out from the Crowd

• It's a far cry from the Outbacks and Foresters of today, but Subaru got its start in the U.S. with the two-door 360 microcar and this related Sambar van.
• A rear-mounted 356cc, two-stroke, two-cylinder engine provides 25 horsepower.
• While most Japanese kei cars are right-hand-drive Japan-market imports, this Sambar is a rare exception.

Subaru first arrived in the U.S. in 1968 thanks to serial entrepreneur Malcom Bricklin, who imported the oddball 360 sedan for its fuel-sipping thrift and ability to duck import regulations. However, Subaru also made the 360 in a van form, the Sambar, and some of those were brought over as well.

One of those 1960s microvans just popped up on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos), a 1969 Subaru Sambar 360 painted in an eye-catching metallic lime. Showy, but this is no mean green—just look at its little happy face.

The green theme continues on the inside, which features green cloth accents on the vinyl seats and a bare-bones interior that's color-matched to the exterior. Despite being under ten feet long, there's a surprising amount of cargo space in the back. You wouldn't want to transport a lot of heavy cargo, but maybe it'd be the ideal helium balloon delivery vehicle?

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The rear-mounted two-cylinder engine displaces 356cc and was rated at just 25 horsepower, with power getting to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual. True mileage is unknown, though the odometer shows around 32K miles.

The engine's relatively meager output allowed the Sambar to save on road tax and insurance in its Japanese home market. Fortunately for North American audiences, this car is a left-hand-drive model—although it's not like you're going to need to look down the road past any car you're following, planning a passing move.

This head-turning Subaru would make for a fun and novel collectible. The auction ends on August 13.

Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.