There are many negative things to say about new-age Subarus – but most of them are pegged on nostalgia. Still, the Japanese marque holds one of the strongest cultic movements worldwide. It doesn't matter where you are from – that thunderous rumble from its bespoke unequal-length headers signifies the presence of a versatile rally-bred legend (not a moron).
The iconic character of Subaru models makes them stand out, and it's all thanks to the Japanese manufacturer's trend of not being afraid to do things differently.
David Patterson, popularly known as ThatDudeinBlue on YouTube, recently featured an unusual coupe from the 80s and 90s that most people wouldn't relate to the brand – an 80s Subaru XT Coupe.
Only a few people would put a Subaru on a list of cars from the 80s and 90s with pop-up headlights. The 85-91 XT doesn't feature when the Supra, AE86 Trueno, RX-7s, or DSMs are mentioned. Subaru chose form over function.
Ironically, Patterson's feature car, an 80s XT Subaru, was also purchased thanks to unwise decision. The owner, his friend, who also owns a Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R, didn't want to pay to get his clutch replaced and instead went on Facebook and bought a $1,200 classic Subaru XT. Buying a full-size running beater car was cheaper than replacing a Nissan Skyline clutch.
"With a naturally aspirated boxer engine and basically no exhaust, this thing sounds like the biggest knockoff WRX of all time," Patterson said about his first impression of the classic Subaru.
Form alone couldn't compete with the turbo-charged box-shaped pop-up headlight competition of the era when it debuted. Its naturally aspirated 4-cylinder 1.8-liter engine at the time, rated at a measly 94 hp (95 ps), couldn't match up with other Japanese brands like the RX-7 FCs.
Without the power to take out the competition, the wedge-designed Subaru XT wasn't welcome to the sports car party – even when the Japanese marque finally dropped a turbo under the hood.
"This one is not the turbo one. They did make a turbo, but they are incredibly hard to find and are like twelve thousand dollars if you do find one because they are collector items," Patterson revealed about his feature car.
Sticking to its reputation of doing things differently, the XT coupe had a couple of unusual design features. As Patterson noticed, it's a two-door, unlike anything from the Japanese marque produced until the Subaru BRZ.
It also had a jet joystick-style shifter (with no H-pattern), probably borrowed from its aircraft building past. The steering had a goofy, weird right-angle (boomerang) design and looked off-center – but it wasn't.
"Honestly, the shifter feels really nice. I thought I was going to get really kind of thrown off by it because of the free-form feeling, but I really like it. Think of it kind of like a ball shifter that you'd find in a Volvo," Patterson explained.
Other than the unusual design of the 80s-90s Subaru coupe, the previous owner had customized it to resemble a fighter jet with conspicuous blue fog lights and shark teeth on both sides.
Despite everything goofy on the car, Patterson admits, it's one of the most fun daily drivers he's ever driven.
Would you get one of these as a project car? Please share your opinion with us in the comments section below.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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