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Subaru History.
The beginning was in the year of 1917, when a young enterprising engineer Chikuhei Nakajima has opened The Aircraft Research Laboratory. By 1931 the laboratory has grown to the full value company - Nakajima Aircraft Co., Ltd. Till the war's end the Nakajima was constructing and producing fighters Zero - the very high-speed beasts that were baying Ben Affleck's aircraft in the patriotic film epos "Pearl Harbor". After the Japan's overwhelming defeat in The World Wide War II the manufacturing of aerotechnics was stopped, and the Nakajima was transformed into the Fuji Sangyo Co., Ltd. Ex extremely military enterprise has started manufacturing peaceful produces including combustion engines.Next shake happened in 1950. According to the anti-competition law that was made on the American model and under pressure of America Fuji Sangyo, as a lot of other Japanese concerns, was divided into 12 small companies. Five of the most strong of them were united in 1953 into the Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) Corporation with headquarters in Hiroshima. Starting with this new created association began developing fast, aircraft production revived, and spade-works of cars production organization has started. In fact this was the start of the company's automobile history.
1954 - A prototype of the first passenger car P-1 was created. Fuji announced a competition for the car's name. No one of the proposed variants was accepted. At long last the corporation's president Kenji Kita has proposed a name that he liked - Subaru. Subaru is the name of a star accumulation in the Taurus constellation. We also call it Seven Stars. From Japanese this means "unite", "join". Thus new make of car has got its own name and emblem. Six stars are like six companies united into one corporation.
1958 - First make of passenger car, as we usually say compact car, was created and launched into production. Firstling was named Subaru 360. Cheap and unpretentious in its exploitation 360 succeeded. It was modernized not once and was produced till 1969, when it was substituted for R-2 make.
1966 - Subaru was first in Japan who set up a front drive cars' long-run production of 1000 make. Its construction was revolutionary for those times. To avoid front wheels overwork engineers decided to create aluminium opposed cylinders engine with three-bearing crankshaft. As a result power pack was light, balanced and compact.
1967 - A sport modification of the Subaru 1000 FF1 was represented on the Tokyo automobile saloon. It was with more powerful engine and with some changes in design of body's front part. Starting with this car that in future was called Leone, successful attack of foreign markets has begun. Renovated automobile because of low centre of gravity, front drive and completely independent suspension was conducted itself on the road perfectly, it was economical and safe in exploitation.
1971 - Launched production of Subaru Leone. And after a year first all-wheel drive Leone 1400 4WD - the only, for those times, mass front-wheel drive automobile with pluggable rear-wheel drive. This event became a momentous landmark of the make's history. An all-wheel drive car roused a big interest of specialists and customers. Pluggable rear-wheel drive was put in on bad road conditions (icy conditions of roads, mountain roads with lots of turnings and so on). At the same time Leone 1400 4WD represents usual passenger car for everyday use. Real foreign selling boom of Subaru has begun after the Leone was shown beyond the bounds of Japan in 1974. During two years almost 100000 of cars were sold, including 30000 of them in USA. That was the main point when passenger all-wheel drive cars started being Subaru specialization.
Subaru lineup was broadening step by step. In the year of 1972 in the stead of R2 a minicar Rex was launched, then in 1977 - microbus Sambar/Domingo, but in the early 80s all of them were supplemented with all-wheel modifications. Subaru cars manufacturing was stably growing. By the middle 80s manufacture level reached the point of 250000 of cars, and 53% of them were exported. The company managed to achieve the implicit recognition in the American market, and USA began being the main make's importer.
1986 - Subaru launches Leone Full-time 4WD. New transmission was now providing permanent torque transfer to all wheels. Another outstanding novelty of this period is compact car model Justy. In 1987 it becomes first car with application of transmission with continuous change of torque and electromagnetic clutch - ECVT. The automobile was made for European and American markets and it justified hopes of its creators in full. Car's design corresponded to European mentality - it was worked out by stylists from famous English company IAD. Justy has cleared for Subaru the way to the European market.
All these years Subaru members were thinking about sport car launching. In 80s demand for this class cars was growing in the whole world, and in 1985 next Subaru novelty was presented - sport coupe Alcyone. The automobile was projected on the Leone platform, with a streamline body (Cx=0.29) and it was equipped with the turbo engine of 135 hp. Among other peculiarities of this model was electro air suspension with changeable clearance.
1991 - Sport coupe Subaru Alcyone SVX second generation appears. New car according to its technical characteristics with just cause pretended to the GT class and had nothing in common with the previous model. It was completely original construction with opposed six-cylinder engine, capacity 3.3 liters, and power of 250 hp. Traction control system, Hill Holder - these devices became popular among other companies after more then ten years.
1989 - New model Legacy of D class has been launched. This automobile nearly right away has become a bestseller among all Subaru models and has promoted the make into the segment of more expensive and prestigious premium-class cars. In the case with Legacy everybody has worked well coordinated: from constructors to marketing specialists. With advertising purposes in January, 1989 the Legacy RS modification has broken several World Speed Records at a distance of 100000 km. Practically at once Legacy has become equally popular in USA, Europe and Japan. Success basis was in good new EJ family engine's construction and in perfected all-wheel drive transmission.
1993 - Manufacturing of the second generation Legacy was started. And it was another record! The modification of estate car with turbo engine has broken the world speed record for serial produced estate cars - 249.81 km/h. Marking every new Legacy's launching with world record for Subaru has become an enviable tradition. In 1998 the third Legacy estate car made a maximum speed 270.532 km/h! But in all-wheel drive estate cars' production Subaru became a worldwide leader. In 2000 Legacy was equipped with three litre engine.
But let's recur to the year of 1992 - the year of another model Impreza birth. Impreza is a super star in Subaru's best models constellation. A small automobile of a global golf-class has won three times in team classification of world rally championship and five times in individual. It removed the difference between a super-car and a usual passenger car and has become a cultic car of 90s. Big Legacy's interiors were inserted into the diminished body. It was balanced, counterpoised, strengthened and has been made another standard of motor-car construction. Impreza's recognition as The Car of the Year 2000 was well-earned appreciation of Subaru's progress.
1997 - Two new models were presented to automobile world - Forester and Legacy Lancaster (Outback) - passenger sport estate cars. Instead of offroadster's adaptation to comfortable road conditions Subaru members has adopted passenger models - usual Legacy and new Forester - to hard road conditions. These two cars in future served as a reference point for other automobile company's constructors, that quickly established similar models manufacturing. Forester's utility and functionality were appreciated in the whole world.
2005 - Finally the company asserted itself in the popular today crossover class with launching next novelty named Tribeca. Firstly new model aroused very contradictory reactions - but which Subaru wasn't excited with its appearance for automobile community? The strong companies' destiny is to be leaders in progress and trend-setters.
