1993 Subaru Sambar Special 4WD, 2Hi-4Hi, EL Gear, 5MT#BUC24693

Our stock includes this 1993 Subaru Sambar Special 4WD, finished in White — a right-hand-drive Japanese import.

About the 1993 Subaru Sambar

Enthusiasts nicknamed the rear-engined Sambar the "agricultural Porsche", and the joke does real work: rear engine, rear drive, four cylinders, independent suspension all round. Subaru built the Sambar in-house from 1961 until the last one left the line on 29 February 2012, after which the badge moved onto a rebadged Daihatsu. A 1993 vehicle comes from the in-house era. Subaru gave the Sambar four-wheel independent suspension from the very first 1961 model, at a time when Japanese passenger cars mostly did without it — struts at the front, semi-trailing arms at the rear.

What is on file for this Sambar Special 4WD

It shows 29,008 on the clock. The source recorded no unit alongside that figure, so 29,008 is reproduced exactly as stored rather than converted.

How this 1993 Sambar Special 4WD is put together

Power comes from the EN07, a 660cc 4-cylinder unit. The EN07 is a genuine four-cylinder in a kei-sized package. Subaru kept building it long after almost everyone else had settled on three cylinders, and it is the single biggest reason Sambars have their own following. The KS4 runs a manual gearbox. On the specification it carries an extra-low crawler gear and selectable 2WD / 4WD high.

Living with a Sambar Special 4WD

A 1993 Sambar Special 4WD is old enough to be simple and new enough to be usable, which is most of why this generation gets exported rather than scrapped. Built in 1993, this Sambar Special 4WD is 33 years old and clears the 25-year threshold at which imported vehicles are exempt from US federal motor vehicle safety standards conformity. It is listed at $10,900.