The Subaru Rex was a kei class car sold in Japan from 1972 to 1992. It replaced the R-2, kept the rear-engine layout of the 360 and became the basis of the larger Justy.
Subaru Rex at a glance
| Maker | Subaru, Japan |
|---|---|
| Production | 1972–1992 |
| Class | kei car and kei van |
| Replaced | Subaru R-2 |
| Layout | rear engine, rear-wheel drive, rear swing axle |
| First generation | K21, from 15 July 1972 |
| Engine 1972 | 356 cc EK34 two-stroke twin, 32 to 37 PS |
| Engine 1973 | 358 cc EK21 four-stroke twin, 31 PS |
| Engine 1976 | 490 cc, 31 PS in the Rex 5 |
| Export names | Ace, Viki, Sherpa, 500, 600, 700, Mini Jumbo, M60/M70/M80 |
| Later use | the name returned in 2022 on a Daihatsu-based crossover |
| Name meaning | Latin for king |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Subaru Rex.
History of the Subaru Rex
The Rex, model code K21, was introduced on 15 July 1972 as the replacement for the R-2. That car had been little more than a rebodied 360 with the same air-cooled two-stroke engine and lasted less than three years, so the Rex was a fresh design with styling close to Subaru’s new compact, the Leone, though it kept the rear-engine layout, the rear swing axle and much of the mechanical package of the 360.
Two-stroke to four-stroke
The first Rex used the water-cooled 356 cc EK34 two-stroke twin from the R-2 with 32, 35 or 37 PS depending on carburettors and trim; the GSR had twin carburettors and radial tyres and sat slightly lower. A four-door sedan arrived in February 1973, and in October 1973 the two-stroke gave way to a 358 cc four-stroke twin, the EK21, with 31 PS at a peaky 8,000 rpm and Subaru’s SEEC emissions control. The car gained a facelift, a new chassis code, K22, and optional front disc brakes, and could reach 110 km/h.
Commercial versions mattered as much as the passenger car. A three-door two-seater Van (K42) joined the range in February 1974 and could be registered as a commercial vehicle, saving taxes and fees; in April 1975 it received a higher roof so that the load floor could be flat when the rear seat folded, which Japanese commercial rules required. A four-seat Wagon (K26) appeared in September 1974 but lost ground once the four-seat Van was available. From December 1975 the SEEC-T system cut every version to 28 PS.
Bigger engines
New kei rules for 1976 brought the Rex 5 in May of that year, with a 490 cc version of the two-cylinder engine, a body 10 cm wider and a bonnet lengthened to 3,185 mm overall, and 31 PS. It was short-lived: exactly a year later the Rex 550 arrived with a 550 cc engine, the car that in export markets was sold as the Subaru 600. The Rex was built in Taiwan from January 1977 with a planned 100 cars a month, and Subaru changed it substantially again in 1976, in autumn 1981 and in late 1986. The second-generation Rex of 1981 to 1986 was the basis for the larger Justy.
Outside Japan the Rex carried many names — Ace, Viki, Sherpa, 500, 600 and 700, Mini Jumbo and M60, M70 and M80 — and in some markets the Sambar microvan was sold as the Rex Combi. The name, Latin for king, may have been a reply to Suzuki calling its Fronte the “Queen of the keis”. It returned in 2022 on a subcompact crossover based on the Daihatsu Rocky.
Design and features
- Rear engine: the last kei class layout of its kind at Subaru.
- Two-stroke and four-stroke: the engine changed from a two-stroke twin to a four-stroke in 1973.
- Commercial versions: vans registered as commercial vehicles to cut tax.
- Rex 5 and Rex 550: bigger engines as the kei rules grew.
- Justy base: the second-generation Rex was widened into the Justy.
Subaru Rex versions
- Rex GSR: twin-carburettor engine and radial tyres.
- Rex Van (1974): three-door, two-seat commercial version.
- Rex 5 (1976): 490 cc engine and a wider body.
- Rex 550 (1977): the 550 cc car sold abroad as the Subaru 600.
- Subaru 700: the European name of the later Rex.
The Rex replaced the R-2 and was enlarged into the Justy. More Subarus are in the Subaru collection.
Video: 1990 Subaru Rex 660 advertisement
Video by mycub on YouTube.
Sources
- Subaru Rex, English Wikipedia: generations, engines, export names
