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The Subaru R-2 is a kei car manufactured by Subaru from 1969 to 1972. The R-2 was a full model change of the popular Subaru 360, but with an updated appearance and increased interior space. The R-2 appeared approximately one year before the Honda Life, Daihatsu Fellow Max and Suzuki Fronte kei cars, however, it continued to use the powertrain setup from the Subaru 360, which was the EK33 air-cooled 2-cylinder engine installed in the back, which is the inspiration for the name of the vehicle. It appeared around the same time as the second generation Mitsubishi Minica.

Subaru R-2
1970 Subaru R-2 (early air-cooled engine)
Overview
ManufacturerSubaru
Production19691972
AssemblySubaru-chō Plant, Ōta, Gunma, Japan
Body and chassis
ClassCity car/Kei car
Body style
  • 2-door sedan
  • 3-door van
LayoutRear engine, Rear wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine
  • 356 cc EK33 air-cooled I2
  • 358 cc EK34 water-cooled I2
Dimensions
Wheelbase1,920 mm (76 in)
Length2,995 mm (117.9 in)
Width1,295 mm (51.0 in)
Height1,345 mm (53.0 in)
Curb weight430 kg (950 lb)
Chronology
PredecessorSubaru 360
SuccessorSubaru Rex
1972 Subaru R-2 (late version with water-cooled engine)
1972 Subaru R-2 (late version with water-cooled engine)

History


When the car was introduced February 8, 1969, Subaru took 25,000 orders for the car in one month. Sales began in August of that year.[1]

In the early 1970s, the Japanese government enacted legislation to reduce emissions, which prompted Subaru and other manufacturers to upgrade engines that were air-cooled and using a two-stroke engine implementation, shared with the Subaru Sambar. On October 7, 1971, the Subaru engine was upgraded to a two-stroke water-cooled engine, called the EK34 series engine, but the retrofit was hastily done, and was better achieved with the new 1972 Subaru Rex, which was available with both 2- and 4-doors. A styling upgrade was accomplished on the water-cooled R-2, adding a faux grille to the front of the vehicle that had no function other than a more modern appearance, as well as a corporate identity to the all new compact Subaru Leone.

Subaru continued with a rear engine platform so as to afford more trunk space up front and provide seating for four passengers, whereas competitors offered front engine front wheel drive vehicles to reduce noise intrusion from the engine and offer rear seats that folded down for increased cargo capacity, albeit with fewer passengers. In response to the rising popularity of front wheel drive front engine alternatives, Subaru offered a utilitarian hatchback bodystyle (marketed as a Van) from 16 February 1970. Instead of the 31 PS (23 kW) of the sedan, the lower tuned Van has 26 PS (19 kW). The sedan carries the K12 model code, with the Van being the K41.[1]

Performance versions of the R-2 came April 18, 1970, in the form of the R-2 SS with a dual exhaust and an increase in the compression ratio from 3.8 kg⋅m (37 N⋅m; 27 lb⋅ft) at 6400 rpm to 7.5 kg⋅m (74 N⋅m; 54 lb⋅ft) at 7000 rpm, and a higher trim level called the R-2 GL arrived on 5 October. Another contributor to the early cancellation of the R-2 was its handling characteristics, which were found to be not as stable as vehicles that were front engine, front wheel drive.[2]

Subaru would launch a spiritual successor to the R-2 in 2003, called the Subaru R2.


Cultural references


The Subaru R-2 was driven by Natsumi Tsujimoto, a fictional anime character and one of the main protagonists in the You're Under Arrest franchise.


References


  1. スバル R-2(発売時期 1969年8月~) [Subaru R-2 (on sale from August 1969)] (PDF) (in Japanese), Fuji Heavy Industries, retrieved 2015-01-24
  2. "Article 63 of the Special Committee for Traffic Safety" (in Japanese). Kokkai.ndl.go.jp. 1970-09-09. Retrieved 2010-11-28.



На других языках


[de] Subaru R-2

Der Subaru R-2 ist ein japanischer Kei-Car-Kleinstwagen, den Subaru von 1969 bis 1972 produzierte. Der R-2 war der Nachfolger des Subaru 360, mit neuer Karosserieform und mehr Platz für vier Passagiere im Innenraum. Er hatte mit dem luftgekühlten 2-Zylinder-Motor EK33 den Antrieb aus dem Subaru 360 im Heck. Bereits im ersten Verkaufsmonat wurden 25.000 Stück verkauft. Die Wettbewerber boten mittlerweile jedoch Frontmotor mit Frontantrieb und faltbare Rücksitze für höhere Ladekapazität. In Reaktion auf die steigende Popularität von Frontantriebs-Modellen bot Subaru ab Februar 1970 eine Heckklappe an und erweiterte das Angebot um einen 3-türigen Kombi. Im April 1970 wurde der Subaru R-2 SS vorgestellt mit einem 36 PS Doppelvergaser, der später als Subaru R-2 GSS bezeichnet wurde. In den frühen 1970er Jahren erließ die japanische Regierung ein Gesetz, um die Emissionen der luftgekühlten Motoren zu reduzieren. Subaru stellte daraufhin im Oktober 1971 den wassergekühlten Zweitaktmotor EK34 vor, den es nun wahlweise für den R-2 gab. Gleichzeitig wurde die Front überarbeitet und auf die Corporate Identity von Subaru, die sich am neuen Subaru Leone orientierte, umgestellt. Mittlerweile war aber der R-2 in vielen Belangen technisch veraltet und Subaru stellte im Juli 1972 den Subaru Rex als Nachfolger vor. Parallel zu ihm wurde der R-2 noch bis Ende 1972 hergestellt. Insgesamt wurden 289.555 Exemplare produziert. Den Namen griff Subaru im Jahr 2003 mit dem Subaru R2 wieder auf.
- [en] Subaru R-2

[fr] Subaru R-2


[it] Subaru R-2

La Subaru R-2 è una kei car prodotta dalla casa automobilistica giapponese Subaru dal 1969 al 1972.



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