Classic Subaru Wagons take to the slopes at ‘Gelande Taxi’ event

Speaking of Naeba Ski Resort, Subaru recently revived its Gelande Taxi promotion at the famed winter sports destination (it had been on hiatus since 2019 due to the pandemic). Instead of lifts, skiers and snowboarders can opt to take a Subaru wagon to the top of the slope. The cars all have professional drivers at the wheel, and it serves as an opportunity to show off Subaru’s all-wheel-drive system. This year, however, Subaru treated participants to a show of classic wagons that have served as official transport for the Japan Ski Team.

Subaru has been providing cars to support the Japan Ski Federation for half a century. The first was a Subaru Leone 4WD Estate Van from 1976. As it happens, decades ago Subaru provided cars for the US Olympic Ski Team as well, though they don’t seem to be having as much fun as their counterparts in Japan.

It’s unclear whether the original Ski Team cars have survived or not. At the Gelande Taxi event neither the first-gen or the third-gen Leones pictured above were present. Instead, the display was led with a second-generation Leone.

It was a pleasant surprise to see the Leone lead a parade of Legacy wagons in the “opening ceremony”. The successive generations of Legacy Wagons ranged from first to fourth. As it turns out, Olympic ski jump gold medalist Masahiko Harada was riding shotgun in the Leone, and he stepped out to cheers from skiers in the crowd.

“I once drove to the stadium in this Leone, so it’s a nostalgic car with many memories,” Harada (center) told the host (left). Soon a Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid raced in with a dramatic entrance to join them. The driver was none other than Toshi Arai (right), two-time PWRC  (Production World Rally Championship) winner. Also making appearances at the event were Sara Takanashi, four-time FIS ski jump champion, and Ryoyu Kobayashi, who won gold in the ski jump at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Harada talked about how before Subaru, the ski team had to rent a car in whatever country they were competing in. Subaru shipped the first car to Austria so the team could travel in style. Even after they got the cars, though, the team still lacked an official driver so it was up to the coach to drive the Leone all over Europe.

We’re always watching carmakers’ heritage collections like hawks, and these cars are not part of Subaru’s collection, nor are they original Ski Team cars. They were assembled from various sources with reproduction decals added specifically for this event.

The event marked the 50th year that Subaru has been supplying cars to the Ski Association of Japan. It also commemorated the 100th anniversary of the SAJ’s founding on February 15, 1925.

Understandably, skiers at Naeba weren’t allowed to ride in the classic Subies. A fleet of newer models, including a Crosstrek Hybrid, Forester, Outback, and WRX provided the transport. Nevertheless, Arai was joined by fellow rally driver Takuma Kamata, as well as SuperGT drivers Hideki Yamauchi and Takuto Iguchi as cabbies, and it would have been pretty cool to have one of these pros drive you up a snow-covered mountain.

The Gelande Taxi cars were all stock except for the fitment of Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires. At night, however, Arai and Kamata got into their actual PWRC rally cars and made demo runs up and down the slopes, much to the delight of skiers. It was a perfect venue for Subaru to promote its cars, as the modern AWD Subaru came into being because of the snow. And for race fans and ski fans alike, it was an opportunity to meet a hero.

Images courtesy of Subaru.