Subaru Sambar39HP
VerifiedFIRST · WORLDWIDEFIRST PRINTONLY ONE IN VANCOUVER4 CYL · 0.7 L
FACT
This retro-styled Dias Classic kei van has its own anime cameo — it's the van driven by Seta in Love Hina.
SPOTTED BY @TROY · 10/2026№ 0001
Subaru Sambar second generation20HP
2 CYL · 0.4 L · RWD
FACT
Early second-gen Sambars made you reach the engine from inside the cab -- it took until the 1970 facelift for Subaru to give it normal doors and outside engine access.
BURBLES
Subaru Sambar second generation1966–1973
20HP
Median 28 hp across 34 similar cars
2 cylinders0.4 L
Lead trim: Sambar 356 cc EK31 two-stroke twin (20 PS) · up to 26 hp
Subaru Sambar · Kei truck
Subaru Sambar second generation1966–1973
LegendaryRarer than 72% of cards in Burbles. Rated by hand
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 0sets it belongs to
First spotter bounty · UnclaimedBe the first to spot one
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Subaru Sambar second generation 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.
FactEarly second-gen Sambars made you reach the engine from inside the cab -- it took until the 1970 facelift for Subaru to give it normal doors and outside engine access.
The redesigned Sambar debuted in January 1966 with revised styling and a truck variant, nicknamed the "baban" Sambar (sold in the USA as the Subaru 360 Van). It kept the 356 cc EK31 in the 20 PS form used in the Subaru 360 since July 1964; a raised roof for extended headroom joined the options in 1968, and from the 1970 model year the engine was accessed from outside the vehicle, the front doors were conventionally hinged and a full padded dash from the new R-2 was fitted, with the EK33 engine of 26 PS and a faux front grille that brought the corporate look of the new Leone. Its new competitors were the Mazda Porter (1968) and the Honda Vamos (1970).
20–26hp
0.4litres
Community · Subaru Sambar Spotters
Collectors Spotted in the Subaru Sambar Lineage
Real Subaru Sambar cards spotted on the street by Burbles collectors. Tap any card to flip it over, inspect the collector’s binder, or follow them.
VerifiedFIRST · WORLDWIDEFIRST PRINTONLY ONE IN VANCOUVER
Specifications
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sambar 356 cc EK31 two-stroke twin (20 PS) | 1966–1970 | 0.4 L Inline-2 | 20 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Sambar 356 cc EK33 two-stroke twin (26 PS) | 1970–1973 | 0.4 L Inline-2 | 26 hp | — | — | 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
Subaru Sambar0.7LITRE
3 CYL · 0.7 L
FACT
Subaru's own Sambar is now just a Daihatsu Hijet wearing a Subaru badge.
BURBLES
Subaru Sambar0.7LITRE
3 CYL · 0.7 L
FACT
This Sambar is a rebadged Daihatsu Hijet because Subaru gave its own Sambar line over to building the Toyota 86, the BRZ's twin.
BURBLES
Subaru Sambar47HP
SUBARU · TT/TV/TW · 1999–2012
FACT
Japan widened kei-car width rules in 1998 to improve side-impact safety — and the sixth-gen Sambar was widened specifically to meet the new standard, mid-production.
BURBLES
Subaru Sambar39HP
4 CYL · 0.7 L
FACT
This retro-styled Dias Classic kei van has its own anime cameo — it's the van driven by Seta in Love Hina.
BURBLES
Subaru Sambar28HP
2 CYL · 0.5 L
FACT
The 1982 Sambar Try offered something unusual for a kei truck of its era: select FL and FX models came with an automatic clutch, sparing drivers from juggling a clutch pedal in Japan's tiniest commercial trucks.
BURBLES
Subaru Sambar third generation28HP
2 CYL · 0.4 L · RWD
FACT
The third-generation Sambar, nicknamed the 'Gōriki' (Herculean strength), was sold abroad as the Subaru 600 — even though its engine only displaced 550cc.
BURBLES
Subaru Sambar second generation20HP
2 CYL · 0.4 L · RWD
FACT
Early second-gen Sambars made you reach the engine from inside the cab -- it took until the 1970 facelift for Subaru to give it normal doors and outside engine access.
BURBLES
Subaru Sambar first generation18HP
2 CYL · 0.4 L · RWD
FACT
The first Sambar's reverse gear sat in a left-pattern position instead of the usual right — and its engine was reached through a hatch inside the cabin.
BURBLES
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
Mazda Titan80HP
2.0 L
FACT
When Mazda's E2000 — the truck that became the Titan — launched in January 1964, the factory was tasked with building 1,900 of them a month.
BURBLES
Mazda Titan second generation4.1LITRE
6 CYL · 4.1 L
FACT
Swaraj Mazda built this truck under license in India from 1985, and the plant survived name changes all the way to SML Isuzu.
BURBLES
Mitsubishi Colt T120SS77HP
INLINE-4 · 1.3 L
FACT
Indonesia built this pickup for 28 years with no successor, the last one leaving the Jakarta line in January 2019 after 324,960 units.
BURBLES
Maruti Suzuki Super Carry1.2LITRE
4 CYL · 1.2 L · RWD
FACT
Suzuki's first-ever diesel engine, fitted to the Super Carry, is so small that it isn't able to power an air-conditioning system at all.
BURBLES
Jeep DJ55YEAR
RWD
FACT
A right-hand-drive DJ-3A was built so postal drivers could reach roadside mailboxes without leaving the seat.
BURBLES
Dodge Power Wagon46YEAR
4WD
FACT
The Power Wagon name and civilian pickup design were derived directly from the WC-series military trucks Dodge built for World War II.
BURBLES
Suzuki Carry L2021HP
2 CYL · 0.4 L · RWD
FACT
Suzuki kept the L20 Carry at the exact same 21 hp as its predecessor but still called it progress — the gain was a patented Cylinder Crank Injection lubrication system, not more power.
BURBLES
Mazda Titan first generation EXB2.0LITRE
4 CYL · 2.0 L
FACT
This generation of Titan quietly became the ancestor of two other trucks entirely: it was license-built by Kia as the Kia Titan in South Korea, and formed the basis of the Australian Ford Trader.
BURBLES