2002 Subaru Wrx 78,121 Original Miles on 2040-cars

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Revisit the charms of the 1978 Subaru Brat

The Subaru Brat is the automotive equivalent of a teenager with a mullet: weird, a little reckless but brimming with enough self-confidence to make it cool.
The Brat came from Subaru's desire to compete in the burgeoning light pickup market of the late-1970s. To get around the so-called Chicken Tax that added a 25 percent tariff on imported pickup trucks, Subaru threw two seats in the bed, which technically allowed it to be classified it as a passenger car. The result was a great, weird combination of a complete lack of safety, with a low price and lots of driving fun.
In the video below, Motor Trend's Johnny Lieberman takes a 1978 Brat through the desert and shows just how much fun a little pickup can be.

Subaru suppliers rely on gray market labor

The Subaru Forester is currently the Japanese brand's bestselling model in the US. A new investigation by Reuters is making some scathing allegations about how the popular model is actually made, though. The piece claims that many of Subaru's suppliers in Ota, Japan, are using low-paid foreign workers and asylum seekers to produce components that go into the CUV. The report says that these laborers are coming from places like China and Bangladesh, and they allegedly receive a pittance compared to their Japanese counterparts. Many said that they get about $6.60 an hour, but employment brokers can take a large portion of that pay. At just four suppliers Reuters estimates there are 580 foreign workers, or about 30 percent of the total workforce. The situation has turned Ota into a cultural melting pot because of the significant population of immigrant labor. The problem stems in part from Japan's tiny labor market, and the country's odd asylum system that doesn't allow some applicants to work legally. These suppliers produce many components for the Forester, including the seats, shocks, and fuel tanks. Reuters admits that the businesses have contracts with other Japanese automakers, as well, but Subaru receives the main focus of this piece, which you can read in full, here. When asked for comment about Reuters' report, Subaru of America provided Autoblog with the following statement: "Fuji Heavy Industries does not condone the exploitation of any class of worker, either in its own operations or within its supply chain. FHI expects all employees to be treated fairly, with dignity and respect and to be provided with appropriate workplace protections. The FHI CSR policy respects and adheres to the law and regulations of business as well as upholding human rights and international standards of behavior and the ethical standards of our stakeholders. Our supply chain network has been made aware of our policy and expectations."

Subaru Impreza shows off 360-degree passing technique

Leave it to a Subaru WRX to find a new way to improve the art of passing. This dash cam vid shows a white WRX pirouetting past our recording car and somehow straightening out before either sliding off the road or slamming into the car ahead. If this were a standard move in rally racing, the WRC would be bigger than NASCAR.
Like most dash cam vids, we don't know where it was shot (Russia's always a good bet) or what the circumstances were (did the driver spin on purpose or was the 360-degree slide accidental?), but the remarkable feat was caught on camera and uploaded to YouTube, preserving it for an Internet eternity. Scroll below to watch the twist yourself, and don't try this at home!