2008 Subaru Legacy on 2040-cars

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Subaru parent company celebrates 60th birthday

Fuji Heavy Industries, parent company of Subaru, celebrated its 60th anniversary on June 15. And while the company is largely known in the automotive world for its innovative all-wheel-drive cars, its history stretches far back before the days of symmetrical all-wheel drive, World Rally Blue and gold wheels.
FHI was founded, much like Germany's BMW, as an aircraft company. It went through a series of names before settling on its current title in 1953. And while its aerial successes were never quite as famous as Mitsubishi and its Zero, FHI did fly Japan's first jet-powered trainer. The same year, 1958 to be exact, it unveiled the iconic Subaru 360 minicar. While the 360 never quite caught on in the US (at least not with the fervor of the similarly laid-out Volkswagen Beetle), the small, affordable and simple Subie had a wide-ranging appeal across the island of Japan.
The rear-drive, rear-engined 360 was eventually joined by the 1000, Subaru's first front-engine, front-wheel-drive car. More importantly, the 1000 ushered in Subaru's use of a horizontally opposed engine. The Subaru Leone, which arrived in 1971, expanded on the 1000, by offering a combination we're all familiar with nowadays - all-wheel drive with a flat-four engine.

Subaru Levorg: Forbidden fruit

For Subaristas, the Levorg needs no introduction. Fans of the marque have been begging Subaru of America (SOA) to bring it over here from the moment it was first introduced. First introduced in Japan a year or so ago, and now making its way across the globe, it is one delicious wagon that SOA refuses to let Americans taste. Why? Wagons don't sell in America, so they say (some Euro-brands might disagree with that). Plus they seem to think they have the wagon market pretty well covered with the Outback, Forester, and to a lesser degree, the Crosstrek. First a bit of history Unlike here in America, at least in recent years, a Legacy wagon continued to exist in other markets. At some point Subaru decided to also delete it from their global portfolio, and to replace it with the smaller, sportier and well-equipped Levorg. The thinking was that the Levorg would be more distinct from the Outback than a Legacy wagon, and would be less likely to step on the Outback's toes in terms of searching for customers; makes sense. Another point needs to be made: Subaru is selling at record levels. They just can't make them fast enough as they are constrained by lack of production capacity. That will improve soon as the next-gen Impreza will be built in their Indiana plant this fall once the Toyota Camry production moves out. So, at the moment, they don't need the Levorg to improve sales. Down the road that may be a different situation, but for now adding another model line would be tough and of little benefit. Why America needs the Levorg When Subaru introduced the current generation WRX they deleted the hatchback — which accounted for 50 percent of WRX sales. Needless to say WRX 5-door owners were outraged — and continue to be so. The Levorg wagon could be the perfect answer for these folks, as shares many parts with the WRX. In Japan it's available with a new 1.6L direct-injection turbo as well as the same 2.0L direct-injection turbo found in the WRX. Other markets, to date, only get the 1.6L engine. All Levorgs have CVTs, with the 2.0 versions getting the high-torque CVT found in the WRX CVT. The chassis setup, while a tad softer, is very close to that of the WRX. So it is definitely a car that's cut out for canyon-carving. It's also more upscale than the WRX, with an interior more akin to luxurious trim levels of the Legacy and Outback. In its defense Subaru has claimed that the budget did not allow for developing both the Levorg and a 5-door WRX.

Watch a Subaru BRZ nail world-record tightest 360 spin

How much space do you need to execute a full 360? Less than two car lengths, as it turns out. But you'd need to be someone like Alastair Moffatt to pull it off. The British stunt driver added another Guinness-certified world record at the Autosport International show in Birmingham, England, the other day when he executed a complete 360-degree turn in just 21.3 feet. 14 of those feet were taken by the Subaru BRZ he drove to accomplish the feat – naturally with the ABS and traction control disengaged. That left just 7.4 feet (2.25 meters) of clearance to flip the car all the way around, which bagged him the record for the world's tightest 360-degree spin that previously stood at 8.2 feet (2.5 meters). He didn't manage the feat just once: after extensive practicing, Moffatt performed the stunt in front of a cheering crowd, and then repeated it under tightly controlled conditions for the record adjudicators. This isn't the first such world-record stunt that Moffatt has pulled off, either. He previously scored the records for the tightest parallel parking job and for the same in reverse. Watch him accomplish his latest in the video above. SUBARU BRZ GETS IN A SPIN FOR GUINNESS WORLD RECORD - Rear-wheel drive Subaru BRZ sets new world record for tightest 360° spin - Stunt driver Alastair Moffatt secures record at 2016 Autosport Show Subaru has again demonstrated the agility and precision handling prowess of its rear-wheel drive BRZ sportscar by securing the Guinness World Record for the 'Tightest 360° spin'. The record was secured at the Autosport International Show over the weekend, with the BRZ in capable hands of former world record holder Alastair Moffat. Stunt-driver ace Alastair Moffatt broke the previous 2.5-metre Guinness World Record, which was achieved in 2014, by flicking the BRZ into a 360° spin between two obstacles in Autosport International's Live Action Arena. Moffatt has previous experience setting daring Guinness World Records, including 'Tightest Reverse Parallel Park' and 'Tightest Parallel Park', the latter established at the 2015 Autosport show. The 4.24-metre-long Subaru BRZ is renowned for its low centre of gravity – lower than many high-end supercars – and naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre 'Boxer' engine, making the BRZ one of the most exciting and engaging cars on the road In order for Alastair to have maximise control over the car throughout the manoeuvre, the traction control was switched off and ABS disengaged.