Subaru 360 Police Car: Sweeter than the police allow

S You know the saying' Starts with bacon one mice '? Well, you probably won't even catch a rodent in this police car. But you don't have to, because this Subaru 360 is far too adorable to be the tough cop anyway. Even the auction house RM Sotheby's, where the vehicle was auctioned, writes 'Unlikely to catch any speeders'.

With radio and flashing lights

Although a little respect is definitely in order, because the Subaru 360 is nothing less than the Japanese manufacturer's first mass-produced car. The rear-engined runabout was built from 1958 to 1970. The auction example is a model from the last year of production that spent its time in active service with the New Zealand police. Accordingly, this 360 is also equipped with a radio, signal system and even two police Bobby hoods.

Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Is that to understand? The police kid is even equipped with a radio.

In addition, the company car drives up with the optional four-speed gearbox, which could be ordered from 1960 . Fourth gear is designed as overdrive, which reduces fuel consumption and background noise. This effect results from a constant output speed and speed at a lower engine speed. The fourth gear can be called overdrive here, as the load on the engine is also lower during operation.

444 kilos and rear-wheel drive

The Subaru 360 is constructed as a fiberglass monocoque weighs a total of only 444 kilos. With that comesthen also the air-cooled two-cylinder two-stroke engine in the rear. That drives the rear wheels and gets 23 hp from 423 cm³ displacement. To come back to the fact mentioned at the beginning that no speeders would be caught: There is no information for the sprint to 100 km /h. Because the little Subaru can do a maximum of 90 km /h. 36 seconds already pass on the way to 80 km /h. As cute as these performance figures are, his thirst is stately. Although Subaru had specified the 360 ​​at that time with an average consumption of 3.6 liters per 100 kilometers, this value could not be achieved in practice. In some tests, the tiny one came to a hefty 8.4 liters - somehow we still can't be angry with him, because you can't pack more amiability over a length of just under three meters.

Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

A 23 hp air-cooled two-cylinder two-stroke engine sits in the rear. This goes up to a maximum of 90 km /h.

Small catch when purchasing: The Subaru 360 Police Car was launched in Indiana at the end of October (USA) auctioned - and a trip should be difficult according to the current status. The police Subaru was also not cheap: The rear-engined dwarf brought in 44,800 dollars, the equivalent of 37,940 euros.