Subaru Boxer Engine 40th Birthday

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Introduced in 1966 Subaru 1000

Subaru is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the introduction of its famed boxer engine. Subaru's horizontally opposed engines are tagged �boxer� because the cylinders are positioned sideways, with their pumping action resembling the punching action of a boxer.

Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), the maker of Subaru vehicles, introduced the boxer in 1966 in the Subaru 1000, a four-door sedan with a one litre, four cylinder engine and front wheel drive. The technology made Subaru stand out from other Japanese cars of that time, most of which were rear wheel drive, with conventional in-line engines. Initially the flat four engine was considered quirky, but it paved the way for the Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system that is featured in every new Subaru sold in Australia today. By 1969, development of the engine saw it grow to 1100 cc, when it was introduced in the then new Subaru FF1 car.

With a north/south gearbox behind the engine, the front wheel drive Subarus of their day had balanced weight distribution across the car and equal length driveshafts. The motor in overhead valve form was now being fitted to all of Subaru's larger front wheel drive vehicles and in 1971 it became a fixture under the bonnet of the first Leone, a name plate which was to survive through successive models until 1989.

In 1972 Subaru introduced a 1400cc Leone station wagon with four-wheel drive, becoming the first passenger car manufacturer to use a four-wheel drive transmission. Until 1972 4WD had only been used in commercial vehicles, designed specifically for off road use. With the introduction of 4WD, the symmetrical layout of the boxer-engined powertrain became even more important. There was no need for unequal length drive shafts and imbalanced weight distribution in the engine bay. The cars had a symmetrical, natural, neutral balance, with near equal weight distribution side-to-side and front to rear. Subaru's reputation for producing good handling cars was enhanced by the lower centre of gravity of the boxer engine, compared to in line or transverse engines and the road holding was improved by All-Wheel Drive.

By 1979 Subaru had a 1.8 litre boxer motor powering the top models of the Leone range and was beginning to gain class victories on some of the world's toughest rallies, notably the Kenyan Safari. Continual development of the engine saw it acquire single overhead camshaft cylinder heads by the mid 1980s and turbo charging for the first time on 1985 models.

In 1987 FHI developed a 2.7 litre, six-cylinder version of the engine, which was fitted to the Alcyone coupe. One of the most significant milestones in the engine's constant upgrading came in 1989 with the introduction of the first Liberty. The top of the range Liberty RS was powered by a two-litre turbocharged double overhead camshaft engine. This was the foundation on which the company's world wide rallying success was built. Introduction of the Liberty RS was complete with the establishment of a 100,000 kilometre world speed record at a tyre-testing track at Arizona.

In 1991 the futuristic SVX gained a 3.3 litre, six cylinder version of the boxer engine. 1993 saw the introduction of the smaller Impreza range, which turned Subaru's rallying efforts to success with a more efficient intercooler system for what was to become the iconic WRX model. Just before it bowed out, the Legacy RS gained Subaru its first WRC victory on the 1993 Rally of New Zealand with Colin McRae at the wheel. In 1993 a station wagon version of the Legacy GT set a world speed record for wagons and broke it again in 1998.

When Subaru introduced the crossover Compact SUV Forester in 1996 it successfully completed a 24-hour speed record attempt at Indianapolis speedway, in its turbocharged form. Subaru was leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to prove its cars and the boxer engine were not only fast, but also reliable.

In 1995, 1996 and 1997, Subaru won the World Rally Manufacturer's Championship, with the Impreza WRX, the first time a Japanese manufacturer had accomplished the feat for three successive years. Colin McRae, the late Richard Burns and Petter Solberg have won World Rally Driver's Championships with the two litre turbocharged boxer engine in 1995, 2001 and 2003 respectively. Closer to home Subaru Rally Team Australia won 10 consecutive Australian Rally Drivers Championships in a boxer engined Impreza WRX from 1996-2005.

The latest six cylinder version of the boxer engine was introduced in the Outback in 2000 and in the Liberty range in 2003, as a three litre with quad camshafts. Forester, Impreza, Liberty and Outback have won multiple industry awards over the past decade, with the unique characteristics of the horizontally opposed engine being a significant contributor to their success. Subaru's first all-new model in 10 years, Tribeca, also features the successful boxer engine formula.

The WRX has earned a reputation as the best value for money performance car of the modern era. The current 2.5 litre turbocharged engine this year won an International Engine of the Year award in its class, judged by a worldwide panel of motoring journalists. It scored points for its torque and outstanding performance, while meeting all the latest stringent emission control regulations. The engine powers the current Impreza WRX, Forester XT and Liberty GT. Boxer engines are an integral part of Subaru's future plans, FHI is in the final stages of developing a diesel boxer for launch within the next three years.


Source:
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