1988 Subaru Brumby: Hot Wheels owner review

I always wanted one growing up, a Brumby. And I always loved Hot Wheels. So, when I finally decided to build my dream car, it made perfect sense to smash those two obsessions together into one real-life Hot Wheels, and that's exactly what this is.

The Brumby has a cult following for a reason. The lines are right, the look is timeless, and when you lift it, throw on big mud tyres and give it a livery straight out of a Hot Wheels blister pack, it just works. My goal was never to just slam a sticker on an old farm ute and call it done, I wanted a modern version with a late model EFI engine, power steering and air conditioning. Basically, something that could still rough it and look absolutely mad doing it.

Under the skin, it's running the EJ22 engine from a 1996 Subaru Liberty. It has an AWD dual-range transmission, but I swapped the 1.19:1 Liberty low-range diff to an older 1.59:1 gear set. With the Liberty transmission, the car is now a constant 4WD, rather than the original part-time, and has been re-geared to suit the Liberty’s 3.9:1 final drive ratio.

I made my own wiring harness and added Liberty air conditioning and a combo of Outback and Liberty power steering. The three-inch lift kit and 27-inch Kumho mud terrains on dynamic steel rims give it that Hot Wheels caricature stance we were chasing, and the Honda electric tilt-slide sunroof was a nice touch on top.

The paint is Suzuki Jimny chiffon ivory, and every decal on there was designed by me, inspired by Hot Wheels. Badge delete, antenna delete, restored chrome trims, tinted windows, it all adds up to something that looks like it rolled straight out of the toy aisle.

What makes this build really special, though? My son.

We turned this thing from a farm-fresh non-runner with a blown engine into what it is today in three years. We've done nearly 14,000km in it, made the trip to Subinats in 2024, and we're going back again this year.

It has even earned a few trophies along the way and a growing following on @8r0m8y on Instagram.

This wasn't just a build. It was a childhood dream, and we built it for real.

Owner: Ben