Subaru's BRAT: revisited

I would imagine that anyone born after 1980 would not know what a Subaru BRAT was.  The only recent cultural references have been in the TV show 'My Name is Earl' (the character Joy owned a 1985 BRAT), and the character Rex drove one in the 2004 movie 'Napoleon Dynamite', an '82 model.
.. Aside from that, they are a largely forgotten footnote in the rich history of auto design.
Subaru only produced them from 1978 to 1994, a 16 year run, but stopped importing them to the USA in '87.

BRAT was actually an acronym for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter.
The BRAT was available in many parts of the world, including Africa and Australia, where they were favored in the outback.  The Aussies called it the 'Brumby'.

 













When I was just out of high school my pal Chuck had a new 1978 BRAT.  They were actually cheap to buy new, especially with the minimum wage going as far as it did then.  The BRAT was preferable to a Toyota or Datsun pickup because it not only came with standard 4-wheel drive, but it was cooler looking and a blast to drive. They only pushed about 80hp, but were super light, nimble off-road, and they had 2 jump-seats in the rear bed, enabling room for 4 people, plus all the gear you'd need for a day at the Indiana Dunes or a swim at the quarry.  Chuck's BRAT was taupe colored, a 4-speed stick, with the standard stripe kit on each side.  For summertime fun, it was the next best thing to owning a dune buggy.

Over the decades since,  I've occasionally wondered why Subaru hasn't brought back the BRAT.  Their 'Baja', an awkward family wagon with a short back bed, seemed like a weak effort, .. but there really hasn't been another vehicle that even falls into the BRAT wheelhouse.  Hyundai is producing their 'Santa Cruz', which is about as close as it's gotten so far.

.. But it still ain't the BRAT.

I finally had to address this bee in my bonnet, so I came up with my own update of this lost gem.