1992-97 Subaru SVX

by David Swig

All-wheel drive a decade before its time.

If striking design and technical sophistication were the prime factors in determining a car’s collectibility, the Subaru SVX (1992-97) would certainly make the grade. Introduced in 1991 as a Giugiaro-designed show car, it wowed the public and the motoring press with its trend-setting Italian design. The SVX was both praised and criticized for its originality, especially the odd two-part side windows. The full-time all-wheel drive in most models presaged what has become commonplace in high-performance cars, but a full decade later. Appearing in the US in 1991 as a 1992 model, the SVX was Subaru’s flagship product, replacing the bizarre XT with its video-game inspired upholstery and dashboard. Sadly, the market niche Subaru had developed in the US for compact four-wheel drive cars and wagons was an odd fit with a high-performance GT car. Sales were leisurely at best. Several models were offered over the course of the SVX’s lifetime. Initially, there was an LS...