Clowning Around in a Subaru

I’m not a big fan of clowns.  In fact, I find most clowns a little scary (much like the Kramer character in one of my favorite shows, “Seinfeld” does). However, when I saw this photo my husband Jim took at a local classic car cruise night, I imagined that the clown who originally owned and drove it was probably not the scary kind at all. I mean, just look at this thing – it looks like a loaf of Wonder Bread with wheels!

The van itself is no joke. It’s a 1970 Subaru model known as a Sambar. It resembles a 1960s VW bus, but it’s a lot smaller -- not even 10 feet long. Like the VW bus, it’s got it engine in the back, but that, too, is even smaller and less powerful – just two cylinders and 20 horsepower for this hotrod.

The owner relayed how he bought it from Lucky the Clown 20 years ago. Lucky was active in the Pennsylvania / Delaware area, he said. I’d love to paint up one of these in my style, but for driving, I much prefer the safety and comfort of my modern Subaru Forester.

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