Despite
the poor weather on a rainy Sunday, a dedicated group of Subaru
enthusiasts gathered at Kiso-Sansen Park in Gifu for the Subaru Scorp
Meet.
(Scorp = Scope?)
If you had told me 18 months ago that not only would I be in Japan, but would go to an event such as this and see so many of the vintage vehicles I adore in one place, I wouldn't believe you.
However, such a dream became reality earlier this month. While my Japanese ability was significantly lacking, I was still able to connect with everyone through our shared love of Subaru. The dedication of these individuals to maintaining these lesser-known models reflects my own desires to keep the legacy of pre-Legacy Subaru alive in the states.
The third-gen Leones had a strong showing! Yonkujiji-san's rally replica was awesome, it may only have a 1.6L EA-71 but it makes up for it in spirit.
The SSR Formula Meshes work quite well on this wagon.
Some non-Subaru friends from the same era appeared as well!
Despite being the country where these vehicles were manufactured, parts supply for Leones has largely dried up in Japan. Owners such as Onuma-san are able to keep their vehicles on the road using parts imported from America. While I'm glad that we're able to buy what we can, I fear for the future of parts availability through aftermarket sources like RockAuto as well as the Subaru dealer parts network. Of course the parts available from America are limited to models that were sold here, so finding bits for cars such as this rare supercharged Rex is even more difficult.
I am extremely grateful for the invitation to this years meeting and I
look forward to my next opportunity to meet everyone, hopefully under
clearer skies.
Although the meeting had ended, the adventure continued. After joining some of the organizers and their friends for dinner, Tsunoden-san brought me back to his workshop where he showed off his excellent collection of retro technology, media, and of course, cars. Naturally the favorites for me were his two third generation Leone sedans, one nearly pristine Maia II and the other a turbo sedan in rally style.
His workshop had many goodies sprinkled around, including these artifacts of decades past.
Before taking me back to my hotel in Nagoya there was one last thing he wanted to show me, these two second gen Leone coupes tucked away in a quiet suburb. We happened to meet the owner, a nice gentleman who used to use these for gymkhana back in the day. An unexpected but welcome end to a day filled with Subaru goodness.
Thanks again to those who made this day what it was, and I look forward to the next time!
Maybe I'll manage to bring a vehicle of my own.