The intriguingly odd Subaru SVX

In a world where standing out matters, does this America- aimed, Japanese coupe make sense today?

Weird, odd, quirky, left-field, other-planet or just plain ugly, Subarus certainly aren’t beautiful, but at least they’re distinctive. And one of the most distinctive of them all, even after nearly three decades since its launch, is the Subaru SVX.

Midlife Crisis

This was a high-end Subaru, mainly aimed at the US cruiser coupe market for middle-aged blokes who wished they weren’t. So while it looked reasonably sporty, it came only with a 4-speed automatic transmission.

Design

On the inside, the SVX offered an interior in which your gently seizing limbs would not suffer, unless you had an aversion to extravagant expanses of moulded plastic, of which the SVX had plenty. But it also had Alcantara padding on its dashboard and doors, an Italian flourish hinting at creative origins emanating from Turin, the SVX being the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro.

Like plenty of other Japanese production cars born out of an Italian design house - Giugiaro’s Isuzu Piazza was another - the SVX emerged remarkably close to its designer’s vision, which was of a highly aerodynamic, four-seater touring coupe. 

Smooth operator

In his quest to minimise drag, Giugiaro devised flush-fit glazing employing door windows so big that a smaller pane had to be mounted within it, so that you could drop a window to collect tickets and pay tolls, a solution usually confined to supercars.

 The SVX’s black roof and rear deck were intended to give the impression that the whole upper half of the car was a dome of glass unbroken by pillars, but this conceit only came off at night or on a gloomy day, as it did with other cars of the era attempting the same visual trickery such as the Rover 800.

Power

The SVX’s powertrain was no less distinctive than its skin. That it was four-wheel drive was no great surprise given the company’s mud-mashing history, but the appearance of a bespoke, 24-valve, 3.3 litre flat-six up front was unique, the cost of this low-volume motor doubtless contributing to the millions of dollars Subaru lost on a production run that yielded no more than around 25,000 cars. 

A tough start

The SVX’s early career wasn’t helped by overheating transmissions, warping brake discs and premature wheelbearing failure caused by the temporary grease Subaru packed into the bearings in misguided anticipation of its dealers replacing this gunk with stouter stuff come the pre-delivery inspection. Mostly, they forgot.

Driving

As a drive, the SVX was more intriguing for the experience of sitting in it and listening than it was to the dynamic sensation, the slush-box doing much to stifle the promise of 204 horses, as did a torque-apportioning clutch that channelled most of them to the front wheels.

But the SVX was a pleasantly eccentric way to get about, and one that looks all the more appealing now that SVXs are becoming ever-rarer and more outlandish.

Like the idea? Good used examples start at just under £6000 in the UK, and $10,000 in America.