March Car of the Month - Frank's 1985 Subaru BRAT

What inspired you to get the Subaru BRAT?

Our youngest daughter Emily was moving and I wanted a small pickup to help her.

What year is it and have you done any modifications or is it original?

The Brat is a 1985, the last year for the jump seats. I bought from the original owner who bought it in California. It's a "survivor" in that it's all original, the paint, interior even the bed rug is original. I plan to keep it that way. It's only original once.

BRAT stands for "Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter". Do you ever take your BRAT off-road?

No, the Brat is a good weather grocery getter.

Are the back passenger seats only for off-roading or can you use them for street/freeway driving, as well?

The seats are really hard and uncomfortable, I've given short rides in them to our daughters and their friends. Subaru put them in the bed to allow the Brat to be imported as a "car" to save on the 25% tax on imported light pickups.

We loved seeing you at the Back to the 80's car show. Do you have a favorite car show? How many car shows do you take the BRAT to?

I've only been to two Back to the 80's events and a Cars and Coffee a few years ago.

Are cars something just you are into, or is it a family thing?

We've always had an "unusual" vehicle besides our daily drivers. My daughters must have inherited that interest from me. Our youngest, Emily was into Rally Cross and her rally class car, a really beat-up Subaru Impreza, convinced me of their durability. That thing had over 200K miles and it ran great, even the AC still worked! Our oldest daughter, Betsy, is married to a guy who runs Midamerica Motorsports so our grandkids will be car nuts too.

Any shout-outs?

Try downloading the app for Collectors Xchange. They have some really cool vehicles listed.

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