Scion Tuner Challenge FR-S Project Car: Part Dos

Lat year we embarked on the Scion Tuner Challenge to build an FR-S for the 2014 SEMA Show. We would be battling it out against two other builders from GT Channel and Speedhunters. With only 90 days to finish, it was going to be a huge challenge—but nothing Team Super Street couldn't finish! In part 2 we handle braking, suspension and cleaning up the wire mess.

Scion Tuner Challenge FR-S Project 2014 - Part 1

With this year's introduction of the Scion FR-S Release Series 1.0, we decided to use the limited-edition car as an inspiration for our SEMA build. Our car began as a stock silver FR-S, but we upgraded the front and rear bumpers, side skirts, headlights, and fender garnish with TRD parts as used on the RS1. We also opted to use a PPG Speed Yellow paint—similar to the RS1's Yuzu yellow. From there, it was time to put our own spin on the car and make it worthy of SEMA and the FR-S community.

If you've followed our previous project car, we built an FR-S for the 2012 SEMA Show using everything from a Rocket Bunny Version 1 widebody kit, HKS supercharger, BBS wheels, Recaro seats, and more. We had to step up the game from that project, which was themed more as a street car. So we teamed up with Jon Sibal for the concept and partnered with companies such as LTMW, Gearheinz, and Rywire to reach new heights and create a show car that would gain global attention.

To start, the body received a mixture of Rocket Bunny version 1 and 2 flares from GReddy USA; however, the rivet holes were shaved off and the fenders were molded to the body. A Seibon carbon-fiber hood and trunk, plus custom Aeroflow front splitters, side skirt add-ons, and foglight deletes completed the exterior.

We kept the chassis a good mix of street and show with Wilwood big brakes all around, KW Clubsport coilovers, an Eibach rear camber kit, and a plethora of Whiteline suspension upgrades. Having the right shoes makes any project, so we teamed up with Floss Design to rebuild an old set of BBS LMs that have been widened, lips freshly polished, and centers brushed with a gunmetal tint.

For the interior, we opted for a classy/motorsport-inspired look—reminiscent of something you would see in a high-quality Porsche or BMW build. A pair of Recaro Sportster CS seats, Personal steering wheel, and Godspeed six-point rollcage were installed. To tie in the exterior color, we had all the stitching of the interior rethreaded yellow. Various panels were painted piano black to tie in the classy theme. Pop open the trunk and you can tell we didn't skimp on audio. Three Pioneer subs along with three amps rest in a custom enclosure built by The Car Shop. LED lights were fitted all around, including two custom displays on each side that feature the Super Street logo.

So far, the parts list and vision of the project have been using high-quality parts with a clean theme. However, we needed some wow factor for the build, which comes in way under the hood. The FR-S has been around for more than two years, and we've seen great success with cars using forced induction. Due to the nature of this challenge, we ultimately wanted to try something different that would shock the current FR-S community. So we said, screw it! Let's do an individual throttle bodies setup. We realize it won't make the most power, but there's no denying the sound and look of four velocity stacks within the engine bay. We also feel it pays homage to what the FR-S was designed from in the beginning—the AE86. With the help of Gearheinz, Rywire, and MoTeC, we were able to implement Borla ITBs. We couldn't leave the engine bay stock, either, so we deleted as many accessories that weren't necessary to clean up the bay while filling the firewall and tubbing the wheel wells for a smooth "hot rod-like" appearance. Rywire also developed a custom engine and chassis harness to help tidy up the bay of excessive wiring.

With less than three months to build this car and a limited budget, we're very pleased with how this build is turning out, and it wouldn't have been possible without our partners and supporters: LTMW, Gearheinz, Rywire, The Car Shop, Pioneer, Aeroflow, MoTeC, Borla, Wilwood, Recaro, The ID Agency, KW, Seibon, Whiteline, GReddy, Bulletproof Automotive, PPG, Godspeed, Works Bell, Eibach, Floss Design, Nitto Tire, SPEC Clutch, Turn 14, Perrin, Auto Tuned, and Jon Sibal. We'll have a more in-depth story on the car after SEMA, so stay tuned!