CC Outtake: 1982 Subaru Hatchback – Shopping Cart

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This generation Subaru (1980-1984) is starting to get a bit scarcer in these parts, despite Eugene being an early adopter of the brand. So when I saw this bright red hatchback (with a tow hitch) sitting at a grocery store, I had to pull over and peel off a couple of shots. The only question in my mind was which front end it would have.

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Oh goodie! It has the rather rare round headlight front end. I’m pretty sure that was used in the first year or two of this generation, and replaced by the more common twin rectangular headlight job. This has the 1.6 L pushrod boxer, making all of 67 hp. That was pretty typical of the times, and plenty to bring home groceries. Unlike more recent generations of OHC Subaru boxers, these old version were considered extremely bulletproof, without the head gasket issues.

I read somewhere that Subaru just didn’t design in enough head bolts on the newer engines; hard to believe. And the head gasket issue went on and on and on…has it ended yet? We’ll have to wait a few years.

 

Related reading:

CC 1984 Subaru GL Hardtop Coupe – A requiem For The Affordable Hardtop