"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
06/28/2016 at 12:30 • Filed to: None
23
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"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
06/28/2016 at 12:30 • Filed to: None | 23
| 73 |
In the late ‘70s, a hole developed in Subaru’s lineup, between the Rex Kei car and latest compact Leone. During the ‘60s and ‘70s, the compact Subaru 1000, and later Leone, were the popular family cars. However, the Leone became larger with the introduction of the second generation in 1979, both in body size and engine size. It should be noted that cars in Japan are taxed by engine displacement. A significant amount of people wanted something bigger than a Kei car, but still cheap to operate, which led to the rise of the “sub-compact” in Japan. The sub-compact car was already quite popular in Europe, where Subaru wanted to try to increase their presence. By the time the Justy made it to US shores, the sub-compact car was also starting to become popular in the US, thanks to the Hyundai Excel and Ford Festiva.
Subaru used the second generation Rex Kei car as the Justy’s starting point. Introduced three years earlier, the second generation Rex was a major leap forward for Subaru’s Kei car division. The new Rex featured front wheel drive, independent suspension all around, and eventually, selectable 4WD. Subaru went as far as to say that the only things that remained from the previous Rex were “two connecting rods, and an ashtray”. The Rex provided an excellent starting point for the Justy, starting with the body. The basic body shell of the Rex was lengthened and widened, with minimal changes made. In fact, the doors (and some other pieces) are interchangeable between the two. The Justy’s engine was also derived from the Rex: the 3 cylinder found in the Justy was closely related to the 2 cylinder found in the Rex. Both featured the same bore spacing and overall design, though the Justy did have an extra cylinder.
“Advanced” technologies were also tested on the Justy. Strut-based independent suspension was used front and rear, rather than the rear semi-trailing arm independent suspension found on the Rex. The Justy’s export market 1.2L engine (EF12) utilized multi-valve technology in the form of three valves per cylinder. Selectable 4WD was also available, thanks to the Rex.
The biggest advanced technology, however, was the use of the continuously variable transmission. Three years after the Justy was introduced in Japan, Fuji Heavy Industries, with the help of Van Doorn Transmissie, introduced the world’s first practical electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (eCVT). The transmission used a steel belt and adjustable pulleys with an electronic control system to vary the ratio. A more detailed explanation of the eCVT’s operation can be found
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
. The following year, the 4WD system found in the 5-speed manual Justy was coupled to the eCVT. Subaru would continue to develop the CVT for use in the ‘90s VIVIO Kei car, and later, their full-size passenger vehicles.
The design team chosen for the Justy project was not your ordinary team. Since the target audience for the Justy was people in their twenties and thirties, Fuji Heavy Industries placed their young engineers and designers on the project team. Kyoji Takenaka, a member of the product planning division of Fuji Heavy Industries, was quoted in an interview for Cartopia Magazine on the matter: “everyone could contribute to the development process while having a definite image in their minds of the target customers. Persons creating the design drawings could carefully draw each line in order to make a car that could be easily used for themselves while designers, when making clay models, could precisely scrape clay along one side with the same with the same mindset.”
The Justy was also billed as “A Tool to Expand Your Own Range” by its design team. That is, it should be part of your life for both the mundane daily grind, as well as exciting adventures. Kyoji further explained that “Accordingly, if you consider the true essence of a car, it is, after all, just another tool for us to use. I think that everyone, while living their day-to-day lives, has that sense of curiosity in wanting to start something new or to confront a personal challenge, and a car can be a useful tool when trying to actualize the object of that curiosity. I think that a car that is simply something that can only be used in our current daily lives is without value. A car must be something that satisfies our needs when we want to break out of our daily routine”.
While the Justy may not have been the rousing success that other Subaru models have proven to be, this design philosophy carried on. Kyoji Takenaka went on to become the president of Fuji Heavy Industries, while many of the engineers and designers continued to work on the many, diverse projects of Subaru.
(Special thanks to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for source information.)
Turbolence1988 Loves Magic Turn Circles
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 13:44 |
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Dat Ackerman steering geometry tho. Mm-mm.
ShutUpandShift
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 13:50 |
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Neat info! I ‘justy’ always enjoy a good Subaru history lesson.
Dustin Coyner
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 13:54 |
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when I turned 18, I was gifted my dad’s old commuter car 1989 Justy. I loved that car.. well, I loved it for about 3 months.. I fell asleep at the wheel and totalled the thing. Oddly enough, about 4 months after the crash, I saw it in a field with a for sale sign on it. The key that I still had actually worked to enter and start the car. as tempting as it was to take it, I just threw the key into the seat, and locked the door behind me.. Saying goodbye to my little 3cl econo shit box with ECVT forever.
Garrett Davis
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 13:55 |
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“Van Doorn Transmissie”
There is just no way that isn’t the name of some trans Dutch burlesque dancer.
CalBearsFan99
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 13:56 |
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Looks like a fun hoonmobile...
Artur kempf
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 13:57 |
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And then, some years later, they ditched the 4wd and made it a badge-engineered Daihatsu
RallyMeBaby
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 13:58 |
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Just-y beautiful
stoke
> CalBearsFan99
06/28/2016 at 14:00 |
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Pretty sure that’s a Polski Fiat 126p, dude...
David E. Davis
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 14:00 |
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Hey Rex
Meet Rex.
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CalBearsFan99
> stoke
06/28/2016 at 14:01 |
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The livery, it lies!
vondon302
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 14:03 |
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I prefer the Justang.
http://www.engineswapdepot.com/?p=9042
Travis Morgan
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 14:05 |
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I consider this article Justy-fied.
Daniel C. K.
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 14:06 |
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A friend had a 4WD one, drove it like a maniac during winter. Fun little car
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Boxer_4
> ShutUpandShift
06/28/2016 at 14:06 |
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I like writing them ‘
justy
’ as much.
GlitterbombFarts
> Turbolence1988 Loves Magic Turn Circles
06/28/2016 at 14:09 |
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This golf cart is positively neat-o.
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Boxer_4
> Artur kempf
06/28/2016 at 14:09 |
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But not before making it a badge-engineered Suzuki Swift.
At least it still had 4WD.
gomjabber
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 14:11 |
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I had a white 2 dr with the 5 speed and 4WD. I loved that car.
Had it as a young man, took it off-road places it never should have gone. I would love to have one again.
I actually preferred the 4WD system over my Outbacks AWD system.
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Boxer_4
> vondon302
06/28/2016 at 14:12 |
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Not bad...but I’ll take mine with a boxer 4...
FZ-09
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 14:14 |
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Maruti Suzuki 800 DX
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maruti_80…
Can’t upload a damn image, but look at the 800 DX. Looks exactly like that. Brought back old memories :)
BobintheMtns
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 14:17 |
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Guy I knew in college (who was a complete fucking moron) got one of these back in the day... Such a rad little car. I was totally jelly.
About 5 months into having the car, the guy was going on a roadtrip, so he decided to change his oil. But being a complete fucking moron, he emptied the tranny oil and double-filled the engine.... His roadtrip ended about 15 miles outside of town...... fucking moron.....
toadterror
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 14:22 |
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No justy fication necessary
Declan Hackett
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 14:33 |
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A friend of mine learnt to drive in one of them! Insane little things, and great fun.
He prepared of his driving test with 6 months of daily hoonage around the back roads of Wicklow!
Jonee
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 14:39 |
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Awesome. I love little Subarus. I saw one driving around yesterday, funny enough, and I shouted out Justy! as I passed it.
R.S.D.
> Garrett Davis
06/28/2016 at 15:00 |
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“Where we’re going, there is no gearshift.”
Justin Hughes
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 15:07 |
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They named it after me, you know.
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ccc4a4aa49c5
> Artur kempf
06/28/2016 at 15:16 |
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That subaraihatsu was available in 4wd here in Switzerland. In fact I’m pretty sure you could buy the daihatsu version in both 2wd and 4wd but the Subaru was available only in 4wd.
Wesbo
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 15:24 |
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I would drive this shit today, except good luck finding one with working AC
thejustache
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 15:50 |
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My name is Justus, and my parents nick named me “Justy” growing up. I was born in ‘88, while this car was still for sale. I’m also a life long subaru fan, so it seemed destined that I’d own one at some point. That said, there are less and less of them around and despite the name I’d have to be pretty excited about it to pick up a swiss cheesed ‘80s hatchback with a 3cyl motor. Still, you never know. There have been a couple of neat engine swaps with these...
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Boxer_4
> Jonee
06/28/2016 at 15:52 |
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It’s rare to see them around on the east coast, but you can still occasionally see one.
Braddock
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 16:09 |
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Someone please import like ten of these, i’ll buy one in every color.
Badwagon
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 16:15 |
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Still the best of 8 subies I’ve owned
LongbowMkII
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 16:16 |
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Metro!
Sissyfoot
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 16:30 |
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I had a ‘93 FWD 3-door Justy with a five-speed. My mom actually gave it to me as a joke. She found it on the side of the road in FL for a few hundred bucks and never thought I’d drive the thing all the way back to Michigan.
That car was as hilarious as it was mighty. It was the first car I competed in. My Justy had no tach and no rev limiter. So, if my math was right, I got to somewhere around 9,000 rpm with it frequently.
In the winter I had to drive it with giant insulated boots I still call my ‘Justy shoes’ because the heat didn’t work.
I learned how to do handbrake turns and j-turns with my Justy on the gravel roads around my house.
I had the traffic lights on my route home through Ann Arbor timed so that I could get out of the city without stopping, but it required...illegal and unsafe speeds. I had to actually jump the car over a rail road crossing.
God I loved that car.
BelegUS
> CalBearsFan99
06/28/2016 at 16:35 |
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It even has “Prawie jak SUBARU” (“Almost like Subaru” in Polish) written on the back. ;)
We had I’st gen Justy in our family, 1.2 version. Loved that car. Now we have Suzuki Swift based II’nd gen... not as lovely but still a solid AWD car.
MattRedondo
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 17:36 |
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The 80's chrome airbrush art for that CVT transmission is period perfect.
N8hendonz
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 18:18 |
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Have you seen trevor crowes justy here in NZ?
Rear engined ej20
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N8hendonz
> N8hendonz
06/28/2016 at 18:19 |
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https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=i&rct=j…
juliorobertod
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 18:48 |
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My wife used to own one over a decade ago. You wouldn’t imagine the amount of neglecting it took and still, we saw it some months ago still tanking around. Amazing.
Telecaster1959
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 18:53 |
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Favorite, cutest car name EVER.
Jeffro Tull
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 19:16 |
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There’s a torque converter in between the engine and the drive pulley of the CVT? I guess it would help reduce belt wear, but it seems like a lot of added complication. Am I missing something here?
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Boxer_4
> juliorobertod
06/28/2016 at 19:17 |
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They were surprisingly durable cars. Simple, too.
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Boxer_4
> BobintheMtns
06/28/2016 at 19:18 |
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What a shame. I'm surprised he made it 15 miles.
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Boxer_4
> gomjabber
06/28/2016 at 19:23 |
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That sounds like a blast! Hearing everyone’s favorable memories of these almost makes me want to find one.
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Boxer_4
> Jeffro Tull
06/28/2016 at 19:53 |
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If you’re looking at what I think you’re looking at, that’s not a torque converter. The eCVT in the Justy used a electromagnetic powder clutch instead. A better explanation of the eCVT can be found at the blue hyperlinked “here” under that picture.
The modern day Subaru Lineartronic CVT does use a torque converter, however.
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Cameron
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 20:45 |
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I had a 1992 5 dr Justy with 4WD and ECVT as a first car. It was the perfect starter car and I miss it every day.
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Jeffro Tull
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 21:00 |
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Hmm. Not a torque converter, but functionally similar. Having lots of experience wrenching on snowmobiles, it’s weird seeing the primary pulley not directly attached to the crankshaft.
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Boxer_4
> Jeffro Tull
06/28/2016 at 21:33 |
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Let me preface this by saying that I’m not very familiar with snowmobiles.
I take it that a snowmobile still has some sort of mechanism to decouple the engine from the transmission for when the snowmobile is stationary with the engine running? Probably a centrifugal clutch like a lot of ATVs and go karts? Are you saying that the clutch is located elsewhere in the transmission, rather than the traditional placement in an automobile?
Like I said, I’m much more familiar automobiles than snowmobiles and the like.
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SaveThePineWeasels
> Declan Hackett
06/28/2016 at 21:43 |
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Sorry, but ”leanrt”? Really?
foodeater
> gomjabber
06/28/2016 at 21:57 |
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I also had a white 2 door 4wd 5spd. It was my first car, it was a 1989, i got it for $2000 in 1993. I loved that thing!!! It was totaled when a girl in a Range Rover, who had her license for about 4 hours, made a left turn about 20 feet in front of me. At least the little Justy totaled the Range Rover too. I walked away with just a couple of bruises.
I loved the push button on the shift lever for the 4wd, that thing was a beast in the snow, and I too took mine into all sorts of places off road where it seemed to have no business going, but I never got it stuck so bad I need a tow from someone else. It did great on the beach too.
I’ve been casually looking for a few years for another one.
webmonkees
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 22:06 |
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http://knoxville.craigslist.org/cto/5621312847…
$1500 or what I call the upper lower bracket of the subaru market. Aristocrats.
nauyop
> Boxer_4
06/28/2016 at 23:26 |
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There’s also a sedan version called the Tutto, designed and sold exclusively in Taiwan.
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Jonee
> Boxer_4
06/29/2016 at 00:29 |
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I hadn’t seen one in a long time and I’m in rust free L.A. Great avatar, btw.
415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
> Boxer_4
06/29/2016 at 01:05 |
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I have a tool for you, the land crab.
CharadeLife
> Boxer_4
06/29/2016 at 01:21 |
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This kinda geeky divulgence only helps build my knowledge on weird cars that very few care for.
hullabalooza
> gomjabber
06/29/2016 at 06:35 |
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Worst thing Subaru ever did was taking the manual locking differential out of the AWD system.
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Jeffro Tull
> Boxer_4
06/29/2016 at 07:27 |
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In snowmobiles, the primary pulley is often called the drive clutch (with the secondary pulley called the driven clutch). At idles, the sheaves are father apart than the belt is wide. As engine speed increases, they come together and grip the belt and “engage” the transmission.
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Jojodapyro
> Boxer_4
06/29/2016 at 15:44 |
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I owned a 92 5 speed. I miss that car!
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Jojodapyro
> gomjabber
06/29/2016 at 15:47 |
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I had the FWD version, and It still went everywhere I wanted to go. Best part was, if it got stuck, you and a buddy could just lift it out. I made a lot of Jeep drivers do double takes when they would get way back in places. A few asked “How did you get here” thinking there was an easier route.
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Boxer_4
> nauyop
06/29/2016 at 19:44 |
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I forgot about that one!
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Boxer_4
> Jonee
06/29/2016 at 19:49 |
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Thanks! It's from a Subaru 360, but I'm guessing you knew that already!
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Boxer_4
> 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
06/29/2016 at 19:49 |
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Nice hatchback!
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Jonee
> Boxer_4
06/29/2016 at 19:55 |
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I’d recognize that nose anywhere. My favorite car in the world.
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Boxer_4
> Jeffro Tull
06/29/2016 at 20:05 |
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Thanks for the explanation. It seems like a simple way of going about things.
Subaru probably went with a clutch between the crankshaft and main pulley of the CVT to allow similar packaging to a traditional transmission.
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Boxer_4
> webmonkees
06/29/2016 at 20:08 |
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If I had the space and were closer, I'd be all over that.
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415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
> Boxer_4
06/29/2016 at 21:14 |
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Its called the Land crab, his site is in Tumblr.
http://thelandcrab.tumblr.com/
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Boxer_4
> 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
06/29/2016 at 21:17 |
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Nice! I'll have to check it out.
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madmini
> Boxer_4
06/30/2016 at 01:58 |
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My Second car was a early 90's 2wd with a CVT. It was an experience... Every tank of fuel meant 2 quarts of oil in the engine. This makes me think I got the an experimental 2 stroke engine. The CVT had the worst ideas. It wouldnt always take into account the engine revs or road speed. It decided (when I was moving) to be a spy car. The belt in the transmission shredded itself causing the fluid to catch fire and ended with a smokescreen that would make Q jealous. I learnt a lot on how to keep a POS on the road with no money with that car
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gomjabber
> webmonkees
06/30/2016 at 07:29 |
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I would have to have the 4wd model, I think it’s what made it fun.
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gomjabber
> Badwagon
06/30/2016 at 07:30 |
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*sniff* what a beautiful pic.
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gomjabber
> CharadeLife
06/30/2016 at 07:36 |
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all my friends gave me a ton of shit about mine. They were all in the truck world or amercian muscle cars. At one point or another, each of them was amazed by some feat that car pulled off. They still hated it, but when it traveresed a rock fence row at O’dark AM or went up a muddy hill, or plowed through snow that was higher than the bumper....
But holy shitsnacks, what a reliable little beast. Never, once let me down.
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CharadeLife
> gomjabber
07/01/2016 at 00:08 |
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That’s the thing, most Americans perception of small imported Japanese cars- especially in the 80's were that they were unreliable junk. (Honda and Toyota somewhat excluded) I see day in day out all sorts of problems with modern cars in regards to reliability and the sorts. These small Subarus from the 80's were built so simple and tough that as long as the maintenance was kept up, they would run forever. People give me grief over my Charade until they ride in it. When I tell them that it has 218k on the original 3 cylinder they are usually astonished on how well one of these “crappy” Japanese cars from a 80's small car maker holds up in 2016. If you were to find a Justy and take it to a Subaru meet, my guess is that most would over look it. Maybe except for that weird car nerd like you or me who view the car as an important part of the companies history.
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gomjabber
> hullabalooza
07/01/2016 at 07:34 |
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Agreed.
Parked my current outback in about a foot of crusty hard snow one winter and I had to back out when I left. Stuck.... Granted, the CVT in the 11' makes this situation problematic, but it’s bullshit. My old Justy would have laughed at that situation and plowed right out.
Deer camp one year we got near 18" of snow in a short time, very odd for where I live. Long story short, everyone would have been shoveling a 1/4 mile path to the main road if I didn’t have the Justy. I just packed down a path to the main road after a dozen or so passes and everyone drove out (all the other hunters had 2wd vehicles). The only struggle was me getting through the plow pile at the main road, but again, the Justy got through.
MonkeePuzzle
> 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
07/06/2016 at 13:03 |
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all the better because it is a “real” subaru, while the justy is kind of a borrowed product