Hemmings Find Of The Day: 1996 Subaru SVX

Before the world of WRXs, Foresters and Outbacks dominated the public’s view of Subaru, there was one word that came up more than any other: “quirky”. You knew you were getting a boxer-four to move things along. You knew that all four wheels would be driven. And you knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the outside appearance was going to be a point of discussion. The only real question was how would you like your “quirky” new Subaru: sedan, wagon, or for the 1980s, the wedge-shaped XT coupe? But when Subaru teamed up with Ital Design for a new coupe to succeed the XT, few could’ve expected that the result would be the luxo-coupe SVX, like this 1996 example that is for sale on Hemmings.com right now. 

We’ll discuss the SVX in a minute, but to understand just how much of a shock the SVX was to the public view of the company at the time, you need the history lesson. Subaru itself was formed from the Nakajima Aircraft Company and traces its roots back to 1915. The first car produced from the company was the 1954 1500. Subaru of America came to be with the help of Malcom Bricklin (the man behind the Bricklin SV-1 and Yugo of America) and for many, their first tastes of cars from Fuji Heavy Industries would be the DL (Leone) and the BRAT ute. 

The first sign that Subaru was looking at “sporty” coupes showed up with the 1985 XT series. Known as the Alcyone in Japan and the Vortex in the Australian/New Zealand market, the XT was… well, polarizing. Car and Driver weren’t pulling any punches: “The XT’s severe wedge shape is clearly striking, different from anything Subaru has done before. Then again, we haven’t heard anyone accuse it of being beautiful,” wrote C&D editor Rich Ceppos. Offered with turbocharged applications and intended to be an American-market flagship, the XT proved to be a great touring car, but the “sport” side was lacking and even with updates, there was no getting away from the love-it-or-hate-it looks.

Now, to the SVX. Where the XT was in the same league as the Toyota Celica, Honda Prelude and other sport coupes, the Alcyone SVX (“Subaru Vehicle X”) was aimed much, much higher: the Mitsubishi 3000GT/Dodge Stealth twins, the Nissan 300ZX, and the Toyota Supra were also in the grand touring/sporty GT arena, and that’s before you started talking about the German competition. The public response to the prototype SVX shown at the 1989 Tokyo Auto Show was well-received. The $25,000 base price was in-line with the competition. The 3.3-liter flat-six had grunt, the canopy-like glass treatment was unique, and the driving characteristics of the all-wheel-drive system were well-received, yet the SVX is considered a failure. Why?

Two main blame points exist. First, the SVX financially did Subaru no favors.Legend has it that Subaru lost about $3,000 on every car sold. But the bigger issue, the one that magazines and owners alike both had no problems pointing out, was the automatic transmission, the only transmission offered in the SVX. The 4EAT four-speed overdrive wasn’t a bad unit when found in a Loyale or Legacy. But backing the EG33 flat-six was asking a lot of a transmission designed for four-cylinders with modest horsepower ratings, and in a car that looked so sporty, a slushbox was an unforgivable sin. (Lucky for you, the aftermarket has figured out how to swap it for the five-speed found in a Legacy or Impreza, should you wish to.)

A bit quirky? Yep. Luxurious and an excellent driver’s car? Yes.  Finding one that has been cared for and kept up? Well, this red example from New York certainly has been. Per the seller:

“This luxury coupe has been well maintained and garaged since 1996. Original owner became unable to drive in 2019 and I rescued it from her garage in 2022 at 123k miles. Much love and attention has been given in the 7k miles since then. I have original service records from day one – even the dealership sales receipt. New speakers keep the original radio sounding fresh and installed a new starter last month. Both the engine and transmission were replaced with SVX OEMs at 125k miles. Now she purrs like a happy kitten chasing highway miles instead of mice. There are minor cosmetic items and paint chips but no rust. ABS occasionally lights up but just passed NY state inspection and extra-checked brakes and they are working great. Carfax report shows very regular maintenance and body repairs from prior owner that was fixed decades ago, I even have the repair invoices.”

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