Subaru Rex

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Subaru Rex
Manufacturer	Subaru
Production	1972–1992
Predecessor	Subaru R-2
Successor	Subaru Vivio
Class	Kei car
Body style(s)	3-door Hatchback 5-door Hatchback

The Subaru Rex, also known as Ace or SX700 in some countries, was a keicar automobile produced from 1972 to 1992 for sale in Japan by Subaru, although it was also sold in other countries, such as Chile.

The Rex was the replacement for the Subaru R-2, which was meant to be the replacement for the long lived, but outdated Subaru 360. Because the R-2 was based largely on the 360, it lasted only a few years. In contrast, the 360 was produced for 11 years and the Rex was produced for 20.

The Subaru Rex represented a fresh start, having little do with the Subaru 360, although they did share a rear-engine layout. The Rex featured a 358 cc rear-mounted, watercooled, two-cylinder, four-stroke engine, upgraded from the two stroke engine used by the 360 and R-2 models. The yellow Subaru REX (1972) in the photo featured a 544 cc rear-mounted, watercooled, two-cylinder, four-stroke engine with a 4 gear + Reverse gearbox. Other information, according to the original OWNER'S MANUAL at the SPECIFICATIONS chapter are:

ENGINE Type EK 23 Water-cooled, 4-stroke, 2 cylinder engine
Bore x Stroke mm (in) 76.0 x 60.0 (2.99 x 2.36)
Piston displacement cc (cu in.) 544 (33.2)
Compression ratio 8.3:1

TRANSMISSION Number of speeds 4-forward with syncromesh and 1-reverse
Gear ratio 1st 4.363 (max speed: 35 km/h - 21 miles/h)
2nd 2.625 (max speed: 60 km/h - 37 miles/h)
3rd 1.809 (max speed: 90 km/h - 56 miles/h)
4th 1.269 (max speed: 110 km/h - 68 miles/h)
Reverse 4.272
Final gear ratio 4.315

STEERING Type Rack and pinion

TIRE SIZE (Front& Rear) 5.20 - 10-4PR

The sound of the engine at idle (1000 rpm) or low rpm wasn't something noticable, but at high rpm was fantastic to hear. The transmission was almost perfect at fast changes.

In 1981, the Subaru Rex became front wheel drive, and the engine was enlarged to 665 cc in 1982.The end for the Rex came in 1992, when it was replaced by the Vivio.

Recently it has become somewhat of a cult car in Japan, being used in front wheel drive drift events.

Rex is also a common nickname for the high performance Subaru Impreza WRX, especially in Australia where the actual Rex was marketed as the Fiori. The Fiori derivative was also equipped with pink and blue pinstriping from factory and a 2 year, 50,000k warranty was offered when new. Equipped with a different engine, the Fiori had Subaru's 758 cc carburetted 4 cylinder EN08 powerplant.

[edit] External links

• History of Subaru Kei Jidosha

v • d • e Subaru, a division of Fuji Heavy Industries, vehicle timeline, 1990s–present
Type	1990s										2000s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Kei car	Rex		Vivio						Pleo
																R1
														R2
																	Stella
Subcompact	Justy KA																	Justy
Compact	Loyale AC/AG/AN
				Impreza GC/GF/GM									Impreza GD/GG						Impreza GE/GH/GR
Mid-size	Legacy BC/BF/BJ					Legacy BD/BG/BK					Legacy BE/BH					Legacy BL/BP
Sports coupé	XT AX		SVX CX
Minivan	Sambar
												Traviq
Crossover									Forester SF					Forester SG						Forester SH
							Outback BG				Outback BH					Outback BP
																	Tribeca WX
														Baja BT
Current	Tribeca · Forester · Impreza · Legacy · Outback · Pleo · R1 · R2 · Sambar · TransCare
Historic	360 · 1000 · 1600 · Alcyone XT · Alcyone SVX · Baja · BRAT · FF-1 G · FF-1 Star · Justy · Libero · Leone · R-2 · Rex · Traviq · Vivio
Concept	Exiga · G4e · B5 TPH · B9 Scrambler