How The Subaru Brat Got Its Name (and How It Helped Dodge Taxes)

During nan 1970s power crisis, Americans began to clasp smaller, much fuel-efficient vehicles, arsenic opposed to manufacturers' previously bragging astir portliness. Even nan hallowed pickup motortruck wasn't exempt from nan right-size movement. Japanese automakers were good positioned to capable this mini-truck void because specified vehicles already existed en masse owing to abstraction constraints successful Japan. By nan second portion of nan disco decade, Subaru decided to carve retired a portion of import motortruck income alongside Toyota, Mazda, and others. To expedite this endeavor, Subaru opted to region nan rear information of its Leone position wagon and equine a cargo furniture instead.

Whether you telephone them coupé inferior vehicles, utes, aliases whatever, Subaru's small motortruck joined nan likes of nan Chevrolet El Camino and Ford Ranchero successful 1978. Like nan automotive balanced of a mullet haircut, it's business successful nan beforehand and statement successful nan back. Subaru chose nan sanction BRAT for its creation, short for Bi-Drive Recreational All-Terrain Transporter. That first spot is successful reference to nan BRAT's part-time selectable all-wheel thrust system. The BRAT was ne'er sold successful its location state of Japan, but it was sold successful different world markets too nan United States nether a myriad of different names. Some of nan much absorbing BRAT change egos see Brumby, Shifter, and Targa. 

Besides its funky styling and playful name, what galore enthusiasts retrieve astir nan BRAT is nan 2 rearward-facing seats mounted successful nan cargo bed. This unusual but clever workaround was designed to debar paying a 25% tax levied connected imported pickup trucks. Because this taxation was primitively intended arsenic retribution for European tariffs connected American poultry, it's known arsenic nan "chicken tax." Initially, nan chickenhearted taxation was targeted astatine Volkswagen trucks and vans from Germany, but earlier long, Japanese motortruck manufacturers were caught successful nan trap.

Incredibly, the chickenhearted taxation still exists today, but Subaru was capable to sidestep it by classifying nan BRAT and its other seats arsenic a rider car, taxable to only a 2.5% tariff. In nan past fewer years of nan BRAT's accumulation run, the bed-mounted seats were absent aft being declared patently unsafe by information authorities, which meant that quirky taxation loophole was besides shut.

BRAT income successful nan U.S. ceased successful 1987, though it soldiered connected successful different parts of nan globe until 1994. If you're pining for a BRAT of your own, possibly arsenic the cleanable summertime project, cognize that you're successful bully company. Former President Ronald Reagan owned a brand-new 1978 BRAT connected his ranch until it was donated to kindness successful 1998.