The other day, I had an opportunity to join a guided tour to appreciate the historically admired cars of Subaru. When I stepped into the interior space of a Subaru 360, the company’s first commercially available vehicle aka Demekin, I was surprised to find how simple and sophisticated its design is. Unnecessary details are thoroughly eliminated as demonstrated in its wavy-shaped aluminum car seats that serve as its back panel. To make a four-seat vehicle with a limited engine capacity, I was told, the car maker needed to go to great lengths to reduce its size and weight, with the result that the windshield is placed just in front of the driver and the feet of front-seat occupants are located at the front-wheel axle. To realize these structures, the developers employed a specially designed suspension mechanism. All these efforts resulted in the creation of a finely honed space of beauty, which makes its users feel a sense of unity with the vehicle as if they were sitting in an airplane cockpit.

The same goes for the first-generation model of Subaru 1000. Technologies were used for creating a space for humans to travel with comfort. It exuded a sense of beauty specific to the Japanese culture both in its exterior and interior unlike the one showcased by German and American cars. This feature hardly seems to be born from a planned act of expression. Rather, it looks as if the corporate philosophy of the Nakajima Aircraft Company, the predecessor of Subaru, crystallized through its technologies.

It’s a pity that each model went through various minor changes over the years to meet the demands of the times. It’s fun to find those features attached to the original models reflect daily events of the times. However, I was convinced that what continues to shine through the ages lies in the first model.

Hiroshi Ohta