Subaru has always been committed to producing cars that reflect its own highly individual and recognizable approach engineering. The 1980’s XT coupe wasn’t really a success, from the brutal big wedge of cheese styling to the turbo charged engine and four wheel drive, the whole thing failed to hang together. However, this failure didn’t put Subaru off from investing in another coupe as it would have done many other manufactures. No, Subaru’s next attempt was to be even more complex and even more unusual than their first bash. The SVX could be described as a combination of the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and Jaguar XJS, as the SVX had the mechanical cleverness of the former and the refinement of the latter. The 2+2 coupe was styled by Giugiaro, and it looked as if a jet fighter’s one piece cockpit had been lowered on to a fairly normal coupe body. This effect was secured by using half size windows, which allowed the doors to close completely flush against the roof.
Under the skin was a superb 3.3 liter, flat six engine driving an advanced and effective automatic gearbox. The 4×4 drivetrain came with a computer controlled torque split system. The SVX was a remarkably refined and sure footed car to drive, delivering the level of comfort that made very long journeys swift, safe and enjoyable. There was, perhaps, too much technology under too odd a skin, capped with too obscure a badge. It wasn’t a success, but the SVX was an excellent car anyway.
