The AUSubaru.com.au Forums

Posted: **Fri Aug 10, 2012 10:19 am**

Found this page while googling, it's interesting because it mentions a 4 speed auto gearbox with centre diff lock AND dual range. Not sure if that is true, anyway there's some good info the page so i thought i'd copy some of it here. Also on that page are some interesting brochures. I can't copy them at work but here is the link, maybe someone else could do it?:

http://oldjapanesecar.proboards.com/ind ... 434&page=1

After the very interesting feature about the Tredia, I want to show you the advantages of the third generation Subaru Leone.

In Pursuit of Automotive Excellence
Step into the Future
Step into a Subaru

Subaru Leone 1800 (EA82)

The third generation Leone is an intermediate-sized car, available with 3 different engines, 9 different (!!) gearboxes and 5 different bodys.

The Leone was very popular around the world, the whole 80s "best selling import wagon" in the US and the biggest success of Subaru ever. Without the Leone, Subaru wont be alive nowadays and the Leones successor, the Impreza, would have never been born.
Subaru sold 3.790.380 Leone around the world!

The best selling model was the Leone III, it was produced from late 1984 until 1992 (for the US as the Loyale until 1994).

It´s very difficult the make a feature about the Leone because nearly every country got different models, different names and different trim levels. The Leone was a world car, it was sold in North- and South-America, in Europe, in Australia, in Asia aso., so it is very hard to mention all the versions.

The Leone III was available with a 1.3 engine (mostly for Israel), with a 1.6 engine (mostly for BeNeLux) and the well known 1.8 EA82 engine. This was the most popular engine all over the world.

1.3 DL : 65 hp / 48 kW at 5600 RPM; OHV; carb
1.6 DL/GL : 74 hp / 54 kW at 5200 RPM; OHV, carb
1.8 DL/GL : 90 hp /66 kW at 5600 RPM, OHC, carb
1.8i DL /GL : 95 hp / 70 kW at 5200 RPM, OHC, MPFI, cat
1.8i Turbo : 136 hp / 100 kW at 5600 RPM without cat, 120 hp / 88 kW at 5200 RPM WITH catalytic converter; OHC, MPFI

The EA82 was available with carburator, with electronic fuel injection and the top of the range-model with fuel injection AND a turbocharger (EA82T)!

Sadly the EA82T was not as reliable as the later EJ20T in the Legacy Turbo and the Impreza Turbo, the EA82T often cracked it´s cylinderheads because it had no intercooler and so the heat was the biggest problem.

The Leone III was available with NINE (!) different gearbox-versions all over the world :

* 5 speed manual FWD
* 5 speed manual FWD with push-button-4WD (red button on the lever gets you in 4WD; not available in the estate versions)
* 5 speed manual FWD with low range (an extra lever get´s you into 4WD HI and 4WD LO; only estate versions)
* 5 speed manual AWD with central-difflock (permanent AWD, only Turbo in 1988 and 1989)
* 3 speed automatic FWD
* 3 speed automatic FWD with push-button-4WD (button on the lever; no estate versions)
* 3 speed automatic FWD with low range (extra lever for HI and LO; only estate versions)
* 4 speed automatic AWD with central-difflock (Turbo, except estate, only 1988 and 1989)
* 4 speed automatic AWD with central-difflock AND low range (only turbo-estate 1988 and 1989)

In Austria, we got six different gearbox-versions, don´t know how much of those slightly different gearboxes you got in the UK.

The Leone III was available with 5 different bodies too, as they were:

* Leone Turismo (3 door hatchback)

* Leone Sedan (4 door saloon)

* Leone Station DL (flat-roof)

* Leone SuperStation GL/GLT/RX (high-roof)

and the strange but fascinating

* Alcyone / XT / XT6 (US only)

Subaru sold a huge amount of different special-edition-Leone, as the Leone Alpine, the Leone Ranger, the Leone RX Turbo II, the Leone Winner and my personal favorite, the Leone Mezzanotte:

There was a little facelift at the beginning of the 1987-model year in late 1986, but only the grill and a few parts on the interieur changed, nothing major.

The Leone was very popular at the Police and the firebrigade, two examples pictured here:

The Austrian Gendarmerie also had Leone DL wagons.

The Leone III was successful in rallying too, but only in asia and downunder/NZ, so we never noticed:

The Leone DL-Station was also sold as Isuzu Geminett-II in Japan:

Love the awesome looking casette players/trip computers In the options brochure! Also Can see yellow stitching on the steering wheel showing off the climate control.

Posted: **Fri Aug 10, 2012 10:48 am**

very interesting the aerodynamic body kits look good, and the leone turismo 3 door

Posted: **Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:08 am**

awesomeness.

wish i could have one of them coupes!

alex

Posted: **Fri Aug 10, 2012 7:08 pm**

many of the pics have the body sitting a little lower slung than what we are used to....started to wonder, once saw a film crew turn up in Australia to make an ad for the Nissan Leopard. Inside on the floor was a heap of dive weights - likely to lower the look of the car on the road , give it same ride as if fully laden, and soften any suspension ripples.

Nice find

Posted: **Fri Aug 10, 2012 8:49 pm**

What is with the mirrors coming of the side of the guards half way down the bonnet? Did they ever sell them like that here?

Posted: **Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:10 pm**

A good read, some interesting facts in there

*3 speed automatic FWD with low range (extra lever for HI and LO; only estate versions)
* 4 speed automatic AWD with central-difflock AND low range (only turbo-estate 1988 and 1989)

But I find this a little hard to believe.... What are your thoughts?

Posted: **Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:59 pm**

purp wrote:What is with the mirrors coming of the side of the guards half way down the bonnet? Did they ever sell them like that here?

No

Is a JDM thing - but you do them on other restored jap cars

Posted: **Fri Aug 10, 2012 10:22 pm**

Gannon wrote:What are your thoughts?

Probably crossed wires or confusion in the referenced material. Or, long shot, prototype setups

Yet to checkout the link as I'm "phoning it" atm...

Cheers

Bennie

Posted: **Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:59 pm**

sven '2' wrote:No

Is a JDM thing - but you do them on other restored jap cars

And a bit of trivia; when I got a replacement drivers door after somebody caved mine in guess where it was from?

No holes for my wing mirror since it was a JDM door, but the metal slugs were still welded to the inside of the door skin, ready to be drilled and tapped.

Posted: **Sat Aug 11, 2012 8:48 am**

Many Jap market cars landing here over the decades have had wing mirrors way up front on the wing as the Brits call them. Think 180B's all had a unique designer plastic plug cover the holes. That thing B00sting has as a daily, seen them with same wing mounted mirrors. No wondering why we call them door mirrors hey?

On the gearbox I think a FWD box that has hi lo is actually our standard box that is FWD until you select 4WD hi or lo ??

Posted: **Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:14 am**

Didnt know about the Isuzu thing. I guess the Chevy Forester wasn't FHI's first trist with GM...

The dual range E4AT thing would surely be a mistake, Dual Range would be redundant on an automatic, especially if it was the turbo 1.9:1 ratio...

than again, I have seen (actually bought once & returned) an EA82 constant 4wd 5 speed without a center diff. Apparently it was a factory modification, trialed before the MY87 AWD boxes.

Posted: **Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:57 am**

nncoolg wrote:I have seen (actually bought once & returned) an EA82 constant 4wd 5 speed without a center diff. Apparently it was a factory modification, trialed before the MY87 AWD boxes.

How did it achieve constant 4wd without a centre diff? Tell me more

Posted: **Sun Aug 12, 2012 10:47 am**

Gannon wrote:How did it achieve constant 4wd without a centre diff? Tell me more

It was just a part time D/R EA82 turbo 5 speed with the circlip positions changed on the top seletor rods under the inspection plate, so you couldnt pull it out of 4wd.

I think Disco has heard of them too, called them a 'test mule' or something once...

From memory (about 10 years ago) it came from brookvale spares. When I asked 'Why did you sell me this doctored up gearbox' they said it came out of a local RX that was on the road for years. So, maybe it was a subaru australia thing, don't know - but imagine the torque bind!

Posted: **Sun Aug 12, 2012 11:44 am**

Leone Mezzanotte brochure. I can't tell if that is a real option or is it some sort of PR/concept? Black on black is cool.
Taken from this site, which also shows a convertible Vortex:
http://subarupassion.xooit.com/t2890-Su ... -80-90.htm

I want one of those cassette players/radio's and climate control

Aerokit is drool worthy

Haven't seen any L series with colour matched mirrors and bars.

Posted: **Mon Aug 13, 2012 5:41 pm**

Venom wrote:Aerokit is drool worthy Haven't seen any L series with colour matched mirrors and bars.

Surely that's an aftermarket job! Looks very drool worthy though! Love that RXII coupe grille too! VERY NOICE! I'd love that in a coupe...

Cheers

Bennie

Posted: **Mon Aug 13, 2012 6:56 pm**

That body kit and dark tinted windows, color matched mirrors and bars...hardly recognize it! Would probably take a while to recognize it if I saw it drive past. Very nice, I like the look.

Posted: **Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:28 am**

It seems like perhaps there in fact was a dual range 3AT...

(Picture linked from Gannon's thread, here)
Interesting!

Posted: **Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:20 pm**

I like the optional Momo steering wheel.

The AUSubaru.com.au Forums

Leone / L series info from oldjapanesecar.com

Leone / L series info from oldjapanesecar.com