The 360 will line up in the 50th anniversary of the Liege-Brescia-Liege rally, a 3200km run through some of Europe’s toughest terrain, in July.
The 360 is powered by a two-cylinder, air-cooled two-stroke engine mounted in the rear and producing a dizzying 15kW - less power than some drive-on lawnmowers.
The Impreza will be driven in the WRC rounds by Australia’s Chris Atkinson and Norwegian Petter Solberg. The two 360 models will be piloted through Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and Slovenia by four British amateurs.
Not only does the Liege-Brescia-Liege rally commemorate the 50th anniversary of the original but also the 50th anniversary of the launch of Subaru’s first passenger car.
“No, we are not mad - these cars are remarkably spacious and such fun to drive,” says Sayer. “They are real conversation pieces, which is part of the enjoyment.”
But for all that, the Subarus and Fiats can’t go head-to-head because they are in different categories - the 356cc 360 in the up to 425cc class and the Fiats in the up to 500cc.
The Subaru teams expect the 360 models to finish without a hitch. “Without wishing to tempt fate, I am supremely confident,” says Ewing. “Not only have I carried out all the restoration myself but I know these Subarus are very reliable. Also, they are easily fixable by the roadside.”
Modifications are minor but include radial tyres, uprated shock-absorbers and overhauled brakes. Penalties are given for repairs en-route, which the team think may help them claw back some points from better-resourced factory team entries.
“I suppose you can blame me for all of this,” says Puttock. “I saw a picture of a Subaru 360 in a Dutch magazine a few years ago and said to James, ‘I would love one of those’.
“He managed to import one from Japan with a second as spares. However, when we opened the container, both were better than expected and, with a little work, we were soon buzzing around in them.”
The Subaru 360 was launched in 1958 and sold around one million units over 12 years. It also carried the first example of the now famous Pleiades six-star emblem mounted on its bonnet. Updated, the badge is still used today.
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