Before Selling Its First Car in the U.S., Subaru's Parent Company Sold the Go-Devil

Instead of the company's signature boxer motors, this scooter came with a two-stroke single cylinder. At the time, Subaru was a recently established company, and its boxer engines were not yet released. Moreover, Subaru was not even selling cars in the U.S. when the Go-Devil was being sold across the world. Its parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, was formed by incorporating several industrial companies in Japan, but that is not the subject of this story.

This small scooter with a funny name was made to fit inside a zip-up bag. Not only that, but the bag was included with the purchase. It is the kind of thing that gets lost between its first and second owner, so do not expect to find it today if you manage to track down a Fuji Go-Devil for sale somewhere. Beware, though, as it does not have disc brakes, or lights, or many of the modern amenities you might expect from a scooter.

Mind you, its two-stroke, air-cooled, one-cylinder motor might not be welcome everywhere, as it may be a bit too loud for a moped in most places, not to mention its emissions. When it was new, it could be ridden at up to 23 mph (ca. 37 kph), which is a lot for something that fits in a bag.

Now, at this point, you might be thinking that that silhouette looks familiar and that the scooter was the base for the bike used in the 1994 comedy hit Dumb and Dumber.

Well, you would be wrong, because the producers of the movie used a minibike kit made by a company called Azusa Engineering, and not a Fuji Go-Devil, despite their similarities. You can learn more about the scooter from Dumb and Dumber in the two videos embedded below, and the third video will demonstrate how a Fuji Go-Devil fits in a bag and is then started.

Back in the 1960s, minibikes were rather popular in some countries, including the U.S., which is why there were so many of the things at the time. Today, riding a two-stroke scooter would be a bit frowned upon in first-world countries, but you can ride an electric stand-up scooter instead, which is normal these days.

The example seen in the main photo was generously donated to the Lane Motor Museum by a couple from Columbus, Georgia. Thanks to their efforts, the story of FHI's Go-Devil gets to be written one more time. Moreover, many will get to witness its ingenuity and simplicity, instead of it ending up in a junkyard and forgotten.