“The modest and unique body styling of the Subaru 360 has remained unchanged from the beginning . . . ever since 1958 when the Subaru 360 appeared on the market. It’s because we couldn’t find a good reason for changing it.” So says a brochure about the 1969 Subaru 360, which then goes on to tout the 1,400 refinements that have taken place in those years. This is a rare Young S version and it’s listed here on eBay in Ono, Pennsylvania. They’re asking $6,700 OBO.

Having been born 6′-5″ tall is both a blessing and a curse. Wait, I wasn’t 6′-5″ tall when I was born, that would have been a curse for my mom. Being tall seems like a dream for most people who don’t have to deal with trying to find pants that fit, shirt sleeves that are long enough without the body of the shirt being like a tent, and fitting into a Subaru 360. Clothes can be ordered or tailored, but there’s no fix for my legs not fitting in a Subaru 360 other than taking out the seats and moving them back as far as they’ll go. Or in the case of a Young S edition with buckets, relocating the driver’s seat.

Having been made since 1958 for the Japanese market, Malcolm Bricklin had a heart-to-heart with Fuji Heavy Industries and talked them into letting him and Harvey Lamm import the 360 into the U.S., and they started showing up around 1968. Known for being well-built but not exactly ready for U.S. highways as Americans even back then as they are now, are known for loving huge, powerful vehicles for our wide-open freeways. The Subaru 360 was never meant for highway use, but it always comes up in the comments. It’s like expecting a mini bike to be used on the freeway, these cars were meant for crowded Japanese city streets. His cost from Subaru was $640 ($5,400 today) and they sold them for around $1,300 ($11,000), not a bad markup!

Sadly, the seller didn’t bother to pop either end compartment to show us what the front storage compartment looks like, or more importantly, the rear hood so we could see the engine. It appears to be dented and it won’t be easy to make those louvers laser straight again. There are badges missing, but the rear black air louvers are there as well as the rear black bumper ends. Those are valuable pieces. I was a member of the fantastic Subaru 360 Club for years and that’s where you’ll find the biggest group of experts when it comes time to restore this car.

As the doors open from front to rear – one of the many, many things Consumer Reports wasn’t a fan of as they sometimes fly open – that damage occurs more often than not. That’s typically why you’ll see damage such as in the photo above. When the doors fly open, they’ll bend the metal in and you’ll have to take off the fender and pound it out – the ideal choice – or do what a previous owner did here – not the ideal choice.

You can see that this example is in semi-rough shape and it needs a full restoration. I doubt if it’ll ever happen, sadly. Even with this being a rare Young S version with bucket seats, a different steering wheel, a tach, an indented roof that can be used for a surfboard (I kid you not), and other features not on the 360 Deluxe, finding parts and the cost associated with bringing this one back to showroom condition again will have to be a no-expenses-spared labor of love exercise for the next owner. Dropping this car off at a restoration shop and handing them a blank check is most likely not in the cards. A person could restore this car in a one-car garage and that may be its only hope. I looked at a really nice example a few years ago in running, driving condition with a ton of spare parts for less than this price and I’m sorry that I didn’t jump on it.

The seller includes underside photos and this is as close as we get to seeing a glimpse of the rear-mounted engine. Bummer. This should be Subaru’s EK32 engine, a 356-cc two-stroke, air-cooled inline twin with 25 horsepower and about the same in torque. There was a Young SS version that was never exported to the U.S. with twin carbs and 36 horsepower. The seller says this one runs but it’ll be a lot of work. Prices for Subaru’s 360 have rocketed to unthought-of numbers even a few years ago, so maybe this Young S will eventually be restored. Have any of you driven a Subaru 360?