The Brumby
This Brumby was originally set up for offroading when Subarino first purchased it. However, it has since received a bit of a makeover and is now running quite a different driveline from the original that was put together by Subarino himself.
Make/Model: Subaru Brumby Targa Top
Year: 1985
Original Engine/Transmission: Carburettor 1.8L (EA81) w/ 4 speed manual (part-time dual range 4WD)
Lowered
EJ22+T Conversion
RX Leone AWD
15 inch
What is it?
Our 1985 Subaru Brumby was originally purchased to soothe the itch of not owning a targa top Brumby. Its purpose changed from being a daily runabout to that of a dedicated work vehicle for Subarino. In more recent years it has been used for extensive street mod experimentation with amazing results.
To answer the most common question I get asked, Yes the targa style sunroof is factory and was a model offered by Subaru when new. They are not really rare but they are less common and sort after in the old school Subaru scene.
How long have we had it?
Purchased in 2014 it now looks nothing like the car it once was. Almost every aspect of the vehicle has been changed, modified, or upgraded.
Then and now
Starting with the factory EA81 it didn’t take us long to look into some performance modifications. We got lucky with some rare parts and settled on an EA81 Turbo engine for some time.
Unfortunately working on customers’ EJ conversions every day made me realize that an EJ engine was the way to go. Jumping in head first we did our all too familiar EJ22 conversion with a twist. We added a turbo to it. (A common conversion in the USA)
Our thirst to make it different from your usual builds continued with the addition of the RX Leone AWD gearbox and a rare factory turbo dash cluster.
In more recent times the Brumby has been called upon to test our upcoming 5 stud conversion and brake upgrade kit. The testing for this also included suspension mods that have seen us un-expectingly lower it 3 inches.
Future plans
The Brumby is a great addition to the Subarino family that we can’t live without. It still frequently comes with us to car shows and meets. Its unique ability to represent what we do while hauling our tools on call-outs is something no other car can do. It will remain to be our street test vehicle.