Subaru BRAT
It's from 1978, before you were born.
- Iconic generation
- 1978 Subaru BRAT (1st gen)
- Origin
- Japan (Subaru)
- Layout
- Car-based pickup, AWD
- Engine
- 1.6L flat-four (EA71)
- Power
- 67 hp
- Party trick
- Two rear-facing bed jump seats
- US production
- 1978–1985
- Tariff dodged
- 25% chicken tax (paid 2.5%)
About
As of 2026, it's 48 years old.
The Subaru BRAT is what happens when a clever loophole becomes a cult classic. Launched in 1978, this car-based pickup wore its most infamous feature in the bed: two rear-facing plastic jump seats, bolted in not for fun but for tax dodging. By technically carrying passengers, the BRAT skirted the 25% 'chicken tax' on imported trucks and sailed in at a friendly 2.5%.
The result was gloriously absurd — a four-wheel-drive mini-truck where your buddies rode backward in the cargo bed, gripping carpeted handholds, wind in their faces, legality in question. The name stood for 'Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter,' which is a magnificent amount of acronym for such a cheeky little thing.
Underneath, it was pure plucky Subaru: a 1.6-liter flat-four (later a 1.8) sending power to all four wheels, ready for muddy trails and snowy driveways with unbothered AWD confidence. Even Ronald Reagan owned one and reportedly loved it, which is the most 1980s sentence imaginable.
Sold in the US only through 1985, the BRAT has aged into an icon of carefree quirk — the truck that turned a tariff loophole into a back-to-front party. They don't legislate them like they used to.
Subaru BRAT through the years
BRAT debuts
Subaru's quirky AWD pickup arrives in the US with rear-facing bed seats to dodge the chicken tax.
Second-gen refresh
A redesign brings a 1.8-liter flat-four, including a turbocharged option.
T-tops & turbo
The BRAT gets flashier with optional T-top roof panels and turbo power.
US farewell
The BRAT leaves the American market, jump seats and all.
Global goodbye
Production finally ends abroad, retiring one of motoring's cheekiest loopholes.
