Make Every Summer A Brat Summer With This Perfect 1979 Subaru BRAT

Subaru has experienced a momentous trajectory in the 21st century, going from making agrarian, niche-within-a-niche four-wheel-drive compact cars to segment-leading popular family cars with an outdoorsy flair. Modern Subarus may have made their way into the mainstream, but classic Subies remain zany little weirdos on wheels. This 1979 BRAT for sale on Bring A Trailer exemplifies the weirdness of classic Subarus. it still has its rear-facing, bed-mounted jump seats, a WRX Rally Blue exterior with retro white graphics over BLUE TARTAN interior. It may not be green, but this BRAT is giving brat summer, through and through.

In the world of Subaru, BRAT is an acronym, not the title of a life-alteringly brilliant dance music album or a delicious tube of pork. BRAT stands for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter, or one of the weirdest, unclassifiable automotive misfits ever concocted. America had car-like pickup trucks for a long time in the form of the Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino, but they were both much larger than the diminutive BRAT, and neither were equipped with four-wheel drive or two bed-mounted rear-facing jump seats. The BRAT also beat its closest competitor, the Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup, to the U.S. market by about a year. I told you, the BRAT is a weirdo

The BRAT first graced American shores in 1978, so this 1979 Subaru BRAT DL is an early example with the smallest, least-powerful engine ever put into the little truck. Its carbureted 1.6-liter flat-4 engine was factory rated at 67 horsepower and 81 pound-feet of torque back in the day. That miniscule power output is sent to the front wheels through a four-speed manual transmission, until the driver engages the BRAT’s unique 4WD system that the unmissable graphics allude to.

That little engine has driven between 60,000 miles and 105,000 miles, since the original odometer was replaced and the seller doesn’t specify if the replacement odometer accounted for the 45,000 miles indicated on the original odometer. Either way, it’s in immaculate condition with low miles for a 46-year-old workhorse. I get the feeling that the BRAT is one of those cars that when you’re behind the wheel, it’s hard to stop grinning and it’s even harder to be in a bad mood.

It was painted a familiar shade of WRX Rally Blue last year, and it’s in New Mexico which means two things: It’s rust-free, and it comes with the coolest license plate design of all 50 states. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the vintage “Dirt Diva” sticker on the back window, which genuinely made me gasp with glee when I noticed it. Whomever wins this BRAT auction is a hero, and if it happens to come to Los Angeles please let me know because I desperately want a ride in the jump seats. Go ahead, embrace your inner BRAT.