|
The Subaru 1000 was the first front wheel drive Subaru produced by Fuji Heavy Industries that was in the Japanese government "compact car" classification starting in 1966. Previous Subaru models such as the Subaru 360 and the Sambar had been rear-engined, rear wheel drive kei cars. It was the first production Subaru to use a boxer engine. In 1960, Subaru management decided to introduce a successor to the prototype Subaru 1500 with a new code name A-5 with a four-cycle air-cooled horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine displacing 1500 cc, driving the front wheels in a compact car platform. It was to have a double wishbone front suspension. Due to FHI's limited resources, the car was not produced. The Subaru 360 was selling at the time but Subaru wanted a car that could comfortably carry four passengers without a cramped compartment, that would appear to be an alternative to the Toyota Publica, the Datsun 110/210, the Hino Contessa, and the Mitsubishi Colt 600. Subaru also wanted to reduce engine noise by placing the engine at the front and improve interior space by implementing front wheel drive, thereby eliminating a centrally mounted drive shaft powering the rear wheels, and utilizing an independent suspension at all four wheels. The only other Japanese company to use an air-cooled, horizontally opposed engine at the time was in the Publica, and the Toyota U engine. In 1963, Subaru tried again, with a new project code A-4, with a smaller 923 cc engine, front wheel drive, and an overall length of , a wheelbase of , a front wheel width of and a rear wheel width of , weighing . The model was put into production; it was assigned production code A-63 and was eventually introduced as the Subaru 1000. For compactness and to ensure quietness of operation with vibration kept to a minimum, the engine was developed with water cooling instead of the originally intended air cooling in the A-5 concept. The Subaru 1000 was formally introduced on October 21, 1965 at the Hilton Hotel Tokyo, now known as the Hotel Tokyu Capitol. It was shown at the 12th Tokyo Motor Show Sunday October 29 later that year. It was available for purchase May 14, 1966 with a national release in Japan in October 1966. Its model code was A522. The two-door sedan, model A512 was introduced February 15, 1967, with a four-door van released September 14, 1967. These cars featured a unique water-cooled, horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine, with overhead valves operated by pushrods. Subaru engineers examined designs by Porsche, DKW and the Chevrolet Corvair, and concluded that it would be desirable to combine this type of engine with a front wheel drive system. The main problem in achieving this combination was the vibrations from universal joints, but in collaboration with the bearing maker Toyo Bearing (now known as NTN), the innovative "double offset joint" was devised. Modern Subarus still make use of horizontally opposed four-cylinder engines, albeit of a much greater capacity and with more modern overhead-cam-driven valves. As was typical of early front wheel drive cars, the 1000 featured inboard drum brakes up front to reduce unsprung suspension weight and an easier implementation of an independent front suspension (but atypically Subaru would retain this unusual design into the seventies). Other unique features of the 1000 were a lack of a heater core, the heating system took its warmth directly from the radiator, and a hybrid suspension system that used torsion bars in combination with coil springs (much like the front suspension of the Subaru 360). In addition to the model there was also a more powerful "1000 SS" model available for 1968. This offered at 6600 rpm; the top speed increased from . The 1000 was superseded by the 1100 (also known as the Subaru FF-1 Star in the United States and in other export markets) at the start of the seventies. By March 1969, Subaru had produced over 4,000 units as an alternative to the Toyota Corolla series KE10 (introduced in 1966), and the Nissan Sunny series B10. ==Engine== Subaru EA-52 Engine 1.0L OHV Water-Cooled Flat-4〔 *Displacement: x , 977.2 cc *Power: at 6000 rpm, at 3200 rpm with 9:1 compression ratio and two-barrel carburetor〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Subaru 1000」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|