SCION AT SEMA
Scion shows its wears for SEMA

As Scion unveils its new custom and performance cars for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, the car company provided the press with a preview of its performance-oriented custom products. LA Car’s Eric Dorman reports. Story and pictures by Eric Dorman The Scion SEMA Media Preview at KessPro studios in East Los Angeles featured various cars designed and built by Scion Racing, Greddy, Bulletproof, J-Tacs, and some very talented private parties. The star of the event was the FR-S built for Ken Gushi by Greddy and Scion Racing. It features a 750hp 2jz engine, sports a Greddy Rocket Bunny V2 body kit, and rides on KW V3 Coilovers. Other FR-S models that were present were the J-Tacs Urban GT Sport Coupe Concept sporting their custom body kit, the Bulletproof Concept One which also wore a custom aero kit, and the Steve Aoki art car, which was a bit plain next to the other three FR-S that were present, but interesting enough in its own right.

There were also three Scion tCs built by private parties. The Orange "WSD" tC by Josh Croll boasted a Dezod Motorsport Turbo Kit and was right-hand drive. The white "LD-Z Concept" by Walter Franco was a bit more luxurious, it sat on an Air Zenith air strut suspension and had much more interior work done and featured a powerful stereo system, definitely a triumph of style over function. The third tC was a creation of Young Tea which he cleverly named the "Simpli-tC." This car had more of a mixed identity. It too sat on an air suspension and looked much more stylish than the WSD, but the Simpli-tC also sported a Garrett turbocharger, which when coupled with the various engine modifications and the many interior upgrades gave this tC a more all-around attitude, the turbo giving it the power to be a more fun car to drive, but the rest of the mods giving it a luxurious feel.

There was one car there that didn't compromise and was all about style. The Strictly Business Cartel Scion xB was a stretched version of the everyday xB, they lengthened it by over two feet and added two extra doors, turning it into a kind of limousine. In the back there was ample foot room and reclining leather seats, and to keep the passengers entertained there was a 27" monitor hooked up to a Mac Mini, which was separate from the touchscreen display for controlling the various other features of the car. Overall, this is an impressive group of cars from Scion for SEMA, showing their commitment to being more than just Toyota's cheaper branch of cars. They are, instead, shining on their own and making a name for themselves in the tuner scene.

For more information about Scion products, go to www.scion.com