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The Subaru BRAT (acronym for "Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter") is a light-duty,
four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...
coupé utility A coupé utility is a vehicle with a passenger compartment at the front and an integrated tray#cargo tray, cargo tray at the rear, with the front of the cargo bed doubling as the rear of the passenger compartment. The term originated in the 19 ...
, version of the
Subaru Leone The Subaru Leone is a compact car produced by the Japanese automaker, car manufacturer Subaru from 1971 to 1994. The word ''leone'' is Italian for lion. It was released as a replacement for the Subaru 1000 and was the predecessor of the Subaru Im ...
. It was sold from 1978 until 1994, introduced following the concept of coupe utilities, such as the Chevrolet El Camino and the Ford Ranchero. The BRAT is also known as a Brumby, MV Pickup or Shifter depending on where it was sold.


Technical

All BRAT's had four-wheel drive and the Subaru EA engine. Early models received the 1.6 litre EA-71, whereas 1981 and later models received a 1.8 litre EA-81 engine. The 1983 and 1984 models could be purchased with an optional
turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...
engine.
Manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canadian English, Canada, British English, the United Kingdom and American English, the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed ...
s were standard on all models, and an
automatic transmission An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions. The 1904 ...
was available on turbocharged BRAT's. The 1980 and earlier models had a single-range transfer case, while 1981 and later GL models had a dual-range transfer case (DL's still had single range), and all turbocharged models were equipped with a 3 speed automatic transmission with a single-range, push-button, four-wheel drive.


First generation

Developed in Japan in 1977 at the request of the President of Subaru of America, the BRAT was introduced to match the demand for small trucks in North America, in order to compete against other manufacturers, such as
Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...
,
Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...
, and
Mazda is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima (town), Fuchū, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd. ...
. Unlike trucks from other manufacturers, all BRATs had four-wheel drive, as they were developed from the existing Leone
station wagon A station wagon (American English, US, also wagon) or estate car (British English, UK, also estate) is an automotive Car body style, body-style variant of a Sedan (automobile), sedan with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo ...
. When the Leone was redesigned in 1979 for the 1980 model year, the BRAT continued with the original Gen I body until 1982.


Jump seats

North American and Canadian BRAT models featured carpeting in addition to welded-in rear-facing plastic jump seats in the cargo area. The seats were a ploy to circumvent a punitive tariff on light trucks known as the
Chicken tax The Chicken Tax is a 25 percent tariff on light trucks (and originally on potato starch, dextrin, and brandy) imposed in 1964 by the United States under President Lyndon B. Johnson in response to tariffs placed by France and West Germany on imp ...
. The plastic seats in the cargo bed allowed
Subaru is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first largest aut ...
to classify the BRAT as a passenger car, rather than as a light truck. This significantly reduced the costs of importing BRATS to North America, as passenger cars were charged a 2.5% import tariff, while
light truck Light truck or light-duty truck is a US classification for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight up to and a payload capacity up to . Similar goods vehicle classes in the European Union, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are termed light ...
s were charged a ten times higher 25% import tariff. They were discontinued after the 1986 model year.


Second generation

The BRAT was restyled in 1981 and the jump seats were discontinued after the 1985 model year. The BRAT was re-introduced with a rise in popularity of small trucks being sold in the United States, primarily from
Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...
,
Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...
, and
Mazda is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima (town), Fuchū, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd. ...
. Production continued into 1994 but ceased to be imported to North America in 1987. It was also known as the Brumby in Australia and
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and the MV Pickup / Shifter in the UK. Imports to Europe, Australia (from 1978), and New Zealand continued until February 1994. The BRAT was not sold in Japan and was manufactured for export markets.


Features

The early 1980s saw the introduction of a second Gen Targa-Top version. It also had other features, such as: a spring-loaded hidden door, for a side step into the cargo bed; and a spare tire mounted under the hood. In Australia there were specialty features: Ag-quip / packages with graphics, Roo bar, sump guard & rear step bar. Wagon wheels were also optional.


Manufacture

It was an export-only model, never being officially sold in Japan. Due to this, the BRAT became a popular
grey import vehicle Grey import vehicles are new or used motor vehicles and motorcycles legally imported from another country through Grey market, channels other than the maker's official distribution system or a third-party channel officially authorized by the manu ...
in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. There were several locations that manufactured the vehicle: Subaru never considered marketing the BRAT in their home market, due to a truncating demand of pickup trucks that had been occurring since the late 1970s. The declining demand came as a result of Japanese customers shifting to station wagons at that time. In 1987, exports to North America ceased, but exports to Europe, Australia, Latin America, and New Zealand continued until 1994.


Notable owners

President
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
owned a 1978 BRAT until 1998, which he kept at his
ranch A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of landscape, land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often ap ...
near
Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...
. The vehicle has since been restored and returned to the ranch, which is now owned by the Young America's Foundation.


Motorsport

There have been several private enterprises that have used the BRAT / Brumby / MV Pickup in Motorsport events: * 2014: Settlement Creek—Brumby desert racer. * 2018: Freddie Flintoff chose a 1985 BRAT during an electric vehicle challenge on Top Gear series 27. Unlike the other vehicles, Flintoff kept the petrol engine
in situ is a Latin phrase meaning 'in place' or 'on site', derived from ' ('in') and ' ( ablative of ''situs'', ). The term typically refers to the examination or occurrence of a process within its original context, without relocation. The term is use ...
, as well as installing a Tesla power-plant. * 2020: 1988 Drag Brumby—fastest EJ powered vehicle.


Future concepts

There were no third generation BRAT/Brumby/MV pickups as the range was discontinued after 1987 in the United States. In Australia, the range was continued until 1994. Subaru did, however, reveal a concept pickup in 1993 called the
Suiren Suiren ( zh, , ''Suìrén'', lit. flint person"), also known as Suihuang ( zh, , ''Suìhuáng'', lit. "Flint Emperor"), appears in Chinese mythology and some works which draw upon it. Although the Sui in his name is sometimes translate ...
and later on in 2002, the automaker released a similar pickup vehicle called the Baja.


References


External links

*
President Reagan's BRAT
with many photos
Drag Brumby
{{DEFAULTSORT:Subaru Brat 1970s cars 1980s cars All-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1978 Cars discontinued in 1994 Cars powered by boxer engines Coupé utilities Front-wheel-drive vehicles BRAT