Subaru Leone

The Subaru Leone is a compact car produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Subaru from 1971 to 1994. The word leone is Italian for lion. It was released as a replacement for the Subaru 1000 and was the predecessor of the Subaru Impreza. All Leones were powered by the Subaru EA boxer engine. Most cars were equipped with optional four-wheel drive. At the time of its introduction, the Leone was Subaru's top model until 1989, when the larger Legacy was introduced. Although released in Japan and some export markets as the Leone, for many years, this was the only vehicle sold internationally by Subaru where Subaru's smaller kei cars were not commonly sold. As a result, in major markets such as Australia, Europe and North America, it was instead identified with a trim level designation, some of which included: DL, GL, GLF, GLF5, GL-10, and RX. The car is thus often referred to simply as the Subaru GL or the Subaru L series. In Israel, due to the Arab league boycott, Subaru was the only Japanese car sold between 1973 and 1991, when import of other Japanese brands resumed. As a result, the Subaru Leone held about 30% of the entire local passenger car market in those years, totalling approximately 220,000-250,000 units sold.