When Subaru replaced this rear-engined Rex in 1981 with a front-wheel-drive redesign, engineers joked only two parts carried over: two connecting rods and an ashtray.
Median 54 hp across 83 similar cars
Lead trim: 358 cc EK21 SEEC-T (28 PS) · up to 36 hp
Subaru Rex first generation K21–K24K21 · 1972–1981
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Subaru Rex first generation K21–K24 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactWhen Subaru replaced this rear-engined Rex in 1981 with a front-wheel-drive redesign, engineers joked only two parts carried over: two connecting rods and an ashtray.
Introduced on 15 July 1972 as the replacement for the R-2 (itself an interim, rebodied Subaru 360), a fresh design that shared little of the 360's look and kept its rear-engine layout and rear swing axle, with styling resembling the new Leone; "Rex" is Latin for king, perhaps a reply to Suzuki's "Queen of the keis" Fronte. It began with the water-cooled 356 cc EK34 two-stroke (32, 35 or 37 PS on the GSR), and an October 1973 four-stroke 358 cc EK21 with SEEC emissions control (K22). Van (K42, 27 PS), Wagon (K26) and a higher-roof four-seat Van followed; the SEEC-T system of December 1975 cut every version to 28 PS. The 1976 kei rules brought the 490 cc Rex 5 (K23) and, in May 1977, the 544 cc Rex 550 (K24, sold abroad as the 500 and 600), with a Swingback two-door (March 1978) and the budget "Family Rex" van (October 1979, at ¥480,000). The rear-engined Rex was built for nine years.
Collectors Spotted in the Subaru Rex Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Subaru Rex yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
5 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 356 cc EK34 two-stroke GSR (37 PS) | 1972–1973 | 0.4 L Inline-2 | 36 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| 358 cc EK21 SEEC-T (28 PS) | 1975–1976 | 0.4 L Inline-2 | 28 hp | 21 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 358 cc EK21 four-stroke (31 PS) | 1973–1975 | 0.4 L Inline-2 | 31 hp | 22 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 490 cc EK22 Rex 5 (31 PS) | 1976–1977 | 0.5 L Inline-2 | 31 hp | 27 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 544 cc EK23 Rex 550 (31 PS) | 1977–1981 | 0.5 L Inline-2 | 31 hp | 30 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The third-gen Rex's four-cylinder engine was a kei-class rarity — the first since the Mazda Carol, in a segment almost entirely built around two-cylinder engines.
Subaru's own line on this redesign: the only parts carried over from the old rear-engined Rex were "two connecting rods and an ashtray."
When Subaru replaced this rear-engined Rex in 1981 with a front-wheel-drive redesign, engineers joked only two parts carried over: two connecting rods and an ashtray.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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