The Subaru X-100 Was The Plane-shaped Car Designed To Cross The U.s. On A Single Tank Of Gas

Subaru posted a fewer pictures of vintage models connected Facebook for Throwback Thursday, including nan Subaru 360 successful sedan and van shape arsenic good arsenic nan BRAT. These are each cool cars, but nan 1 that caught my oculus was thing I'd ne'er seen before, an off-white and golden three-wheeler that reminded maine of a Colonial Viper. It was nan Subaru X-100, a one-off conception built pinch 1 intent successful mind: to thrust crossed nan U.S. connected a azygous vessel of gas, getting 100 MPG successful nan process.

The 1973 lipid embargo was nan first clip Arabian countries turned disconnected nan taps, causing gas prices to skyrocket, successful retaliation for U.S. support of Israel. (This whitethorn sound familiar.) Suddenly, everyone cared astir substance economy. But car designer Alex Tremulus had ever cared astir ratio and aerodynamics. This is clear successful looking astatine his designs for nan Cord 812 Phaeton, nan 1956 Ford Thunderbird Mexico concept, and, astir famously, nan Tucker 48.

Tremulis was consulting for Subaru of America successful nan precocious '70s, according to Japanese Nostalgic Car. He would creation nan BRAT's graphics while he was there. But earlier that, Tremulis approached CEO Harvey Lamm pinch a bold conception project: an highly businesslike three-wheel car "eliminating nan sadistic torture of guiltless air." Lamm agreed, seeing nan tremendous publicity imaginable successful a 100 MPG car that could transverse nan 2,500 miles betwixt California and Florida connected conscionable 1 vessel of gas, particularly astatine a clip erstwhile everyone was trying to conserve substance immoderate measurement they could.

Tremulis had been redeeming an aged airplane helping vessel to usage arsenic nan ground for an businesslike car body, and nan X-100 was nan cleanable opportunity. That besides led to its heavy airplane-inspired design, including a tail that served nary functional intent and wings extending to nan 2 rear wheels. It bears a passing resemblance to Tremulis' Gyro-X, a constrictive two-wheeled car balanced by gyroscopes. It was a neat conception but didn't really activity successful practice, starring to nan X-100's three-wheel design. The only portion of nan car not made by Subaru was a azygous 1955 Ford Thunderbird tail light. It not only resembled a pitchy motor exhaust, arsenic it did connected nan Thunderbird, but besides linked backmost to Termulis' activity connected nan Thunderbird Mexico concept.

A beautiful creation is each good and good, but to execute its goal, nan X-100 needed awesome engineering arsenic well. That task fell to Ron Jones. He describes his portion of nan task connected his website:

Subaru offered nan imaginable of a suitable powerplant – a 500cc engine/powertrain package utilized connected FHI's Kei people car successful Japan, nan Rex. A rear thrust portion wholly mounted connected a subframe pinch nan suspension, it was perfect.

Alex had nan conception and a outline drafting of nan car but they needed personification who could creation and build a existent car. Walt [Biggers, head of Subaru's Technical Center] asked maine (well possibly I asked him) to creation nan "running gear" for nan car. Light weight was important, truthful I developed a chassis that was light, elemental and strong. Because of nan constricted abstraction successful nan front, I had to creation a unsocial suspension and steering strategy to fit. I decided to usage nan Subaru subframe without modification, truthful typical spun aluminum wheels were made to get nan required way width. I brought John McCollister, and knowledgeable fabricator, into nan squad and we built nan rolling chassis of nan car successful my shop.

The resulting chassis weighed only 70 pounds, which would spell a agelong measurement toward hitting nan 100 MPG target. Jones' complete explanation of nan X-100 task is worthy a publication if you've willing successful each nan details, complete pinch photos of nan build successful progress.

The X-100 was a spot of a skunkworks project, pinch Tremulis building nan assemblage successful his shop while Jones built nan chassis successful his ain shop. This took respective years, and it wasn't until August 1980 that nan squad brought nan completed X-100 to Ontario Motor Speedway to beryllium it could execute its goal. A special one-gallon state vessel was installed, and nan car lapped nan way astatine nan national 55 mph velocity limit until it ran retired of state to spot really acold it would go.

The first effort fell conscionable half a thigh short of nan 100-mile goal. The squad made immoderate adjustments to nan car, and Ron Jones took nan instrumentality for nan 2nd attempt, "since physically I'm a spot of a lightweight 'myownself'" arsenic he put it. This time, nan car ran retired of state half a thigh past nan 100-mile mark. They'd done it. Now they could instal nan 25-gallon state vessel and embark connected their one-tank cross-country trip, acold much efficiently than the first 1 ever.

Except it was not to be. The car had achieved its 100 MPG goal, and some substance crises of nan 1970s were successful nan past. Subaru had already established itself successful nan U.S. by then, and didn't request a publicity circuit of a substance businesslike car customers couldn't buy. It remained successful retention astir of its life, though it did walk respective caller years connected show astatine nan Lane Motor Museum. Since gas prices aren't coming down anytime soon, perhaps it's clip erstwhile again to see a mini three-wheeled car pinch fantabulous state mileage.