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A fully kitted Japanese fire brigade truck rarely turns up on American soil, but this 1995 Subaru Sambar Fire Truck is currently listed on Cars and Bids, giving American enthusiasts a rare shot at owning a genuine emergency vehicle built to Japan's ultra-compact kei-car regulations. Built for a volunteer fire brigade in Nagano, the little four-wheel-drive Sambar still wears its original red and gold livery, a rooftop siren and light bar, and a massive coiled hose reel that dominates the flatbed.
Subaru's Sambar has been a fixture of Japan's kei-truck class since the 1960s, and this fifth-generation example dates to the model's 1990-1999 production run. Power comes from a tiny 660cc inline-four rated at roughly 46 horsepower and 41 lb-ft of torque, routed through a 5-speed manual to all four wheels. It's not a truck built for speed; it's built to squeeze into narrow village streets and get a pump crew to a fire fast.
According to the selling dealer, this Sambar spent its working life with a fire brigade in Nagano before being imported and titled in Washington state. It still carries a full array of firefighting gear, including a Rabbit P450 water pump, a reel of fire hose, a public-address and siren system, external rear-facing jump seats for a pump crew, and its factory 12-inch steel wheels. The odometer reads about 40,100 kilometers, or roughly 25,000 miles, and the truck rides on a clean Washington title.
Inside, the cabin is pure kei-truck simplicity: a slim metal dash, a floor-mounted shifter for the 5-speed, a handheld radio mount, and vinyl-covered seats that have clearly seen duty. The dealer notes some expected wear, including scratches and chips around the exterior trim, a dent on the A-pillar, and light corrosion on the wheels, but nothing that looks out of place on a working fire truck pulled from municipal service. The sale includes the original key, owner's manuals, the water pump manual, Japanese service and inspection records, a fire truck certification document, and several period-correct firefighting accessories.
The auction is running with no reserve, and bidding currently sits at $3,311 across 21 bids, with the sale set to close on July 24. For anyone chasing a JDM oddity that's equal parts fire truck, parade vehicle, and conversation starter, the full listing and photo gallery for this 1995 Subaru Sambar Fire Truck can be found on Cars and Bids.
