Scions at SEMA

On Tuesday, Scion unveiled the cars it will show on its stand at SEMA and, while we appreciate the efforts of the tC tuners in the Scion Tuner Challenge, we gotta admit the FR-S entries and another stretch limo xB really caught our editorial eye.

Coolest car of the night was a tie between the Ken Gushi GReddy FR-S and the Bulletproof Automotive FR-S. We couldn't decide which we liked better. Thank gawd for the FR-S, though. Scion wasn't going to be able to last much longer making increasingly more confusing versions of the three other cars it had in its stable.

First we'll look at the GReddy SR14 FD 2N6 @JZ. GReddy, as you know, makes turbos and other performance parts for cars. Under the hood, the SR14 had a T88 34GK Turbo, the biggest it makes, which was cool enough to begin with. But the T88 was not bolted onto the FR-S' relatively benign stock four banger. No, GReddy had wedged a mighty Supra straight six in there -- no hood bulge necessary, by the way. While it makes about 750 hp in its current state of tune, plans call for boosting that up to 1,000-plus horsepower next year. The block can take it. Mated to that big block is a G-Force four-speed transmission with dog gears.

“It's basically like a NASCAR transmission,” said GReddy USA president Kenji Sumino.

Inside the Rocket Bunny flared fender body kit were Hankook Ventus R-S3 tires on 19-inch Rays Gram Lights wheels. A three-way adjustable KW suspension keeps it all off the ground.

What are they going to do with it?

“Anything, really,” said Sumino. “It's a race-car concept; it has some powerful grip but it could be set up for anything.”

It might become a Time Attack entry, Sumino said. They'll start testing it in January at Willow Springs.

Another car with race track plans is the Bulletproof Automotive Concept One FR-S. Bulletproof's plan was ambitious -- to take a Scion FR-S and make it into a supercar.

“I like driver's cars,” said Bulletproof president Ben Schaffer. “It has a chassis from an 86 (FR-S) but it's lighter, more powerful and more engaging to drive.”

Schaffer was driven by the question, “Can you make a Scion a supercar?”

Schaffer said the Concept One makes 500 turbocharged horsepower, but that that's not the point.

“Anyone can make 500 hp, but it's the level of cohesiveness, the balance, whether it does a lot of things well,” Schaffer said.

The Concept One has only 29 miles on it so far, “Mostly on the dyno,” so no one really knows yet if Schaffer succeeded in making it a supercar. When the SEMA show is done, Schaffer wants to take this and a Lexus LFA to Buttonwillow and have a professional driver take each one around the course. Then he'll know.

One car that won't go on a racetrack but should go everywhere else is Cartel Customs' Strictly Business xB. With a 28-inch stretch in the middle, it's set up as an office on wheels, with two executive recliner leather seats facing a 27-inch flat panel LED monitor. A desk in front of the seats holds the wireless keyboard and mouse controlling an Apple Mac Mini hooked up to an on-board WiFi hot spot. Bluetooth allows hands-free mobile calling. A driver takes care of the steering and braking to free up the rear-seaters to take care of business.

“Most people commute 60 minutes each day,” said builder Jeremy Lookofsky. “You drive down the freeway and 60 percent of those people are doing business while they go.”

So why not have a stylin' ride designed specifically for that? In Korea and China, drivers are commonplace for mid-level managers and above, freeing up the big man in the back to make deals on his wheels.

Cartel did a stretch limo version of the first-gen xB, too, which we got to drive. That was fun.

There were two other Scions on hand that will be at SEMA:

Steve Aoki x Scion FR-S is a mobile DJ ride with a fully operational mixing station, a custom Pioneer sound system with multiple component speaker packages, a deck lid-mounted LCD display, a fog machine and strobe lighting.

The FR-S “Style J” urban design incorporates comfort and technology with concept camera mirrors and custom leather interior features.

Three Scion Tuner Challenge tCs will also be on the stand at SEMA. Representing the East Coast, Northwest and Southern California, the three take the somewhat bland-looking tC and make it into something less bland. Art Center grad Walter Franco's pearl white L-DZ Concept has diamond stitching inside and nitrous under the hood. Josh Croll added a Dezod Motorsports turbo kit and a host of power and performance upgrades to make his WSD tC. Young Tea's Simpli-tC has a Garret T3 turbo underhood and extended fenders outside for a high-performance look.

See them all at SEMA.

By Mark Vaughn