With the exception of the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro, sports cars - modified ones, at that - are considered the life blood of the SEMA Auto Show.
Pick-ups and SUVs are slowly gaining ground, but when it comes to sheer level of interest, sports cars are right up there with the two American muscle cars. This year, the SEMA Auto Show will be presenting plenty of mouth-watering examples of how sports coupes can be modded into pieces of automotive heaven.
In this list, you’ll find a lot of variety. American sports cars. Japanese sports cars. Korean sports cars. And there’s even one from the Philippines, believe it or not.
So when you head past the jump to read our SEMA preview for the sports cars, be sure to have a napkin or hanky in your hand because there’s going to a lot of drooling.
Find out more about the 2011 SEMA Auto Show: Sports Cars after the jump.
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Taking a break from the Scion iQ lovefest at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show is this Scion tC that was built and designed by Dynamic. Called the ’Gruppe S,’ the aftermarket company was able to bring a sprightly tC coupe and turn it into a race-ready sportster that’s primed and ready for some tarmac action.
The exterior modifications include a KW 3-way race coilover suspension, a carbon hood and carbon trunk from Seibon, a front carbon splitter and GT wing from APR, a 5-axis lip spoiler, a one-piece roof from Papadakis Racing, and a set of 18" Hankook wheels with a TRD Big Brake Kit. As for the interior, the upgrades include Recaro SPG Hans seats with Sparco race harnesses and a custom-built 6-point race cage.
Under its hood, Dynamic added a GReddy turbo kit and a front mounted cooler to the Scion tC’s 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine, spiking the coupe’s output to unimaginable heights.
We have no idea how many ponies were added to the equation, but rest assured, this particular tC coupe will carry more than the 180-horsepower output from the standard version.
Updated 11/09/2011: Check the picture gallery to see new images of the Scion tC Gruppe S by Dynamic from the SEMA Show.
John Pangilinan came to the 2010 SEMA Show with his own version of the Scion tC sports car, but the competition for this customized ride may have been too much to handle as there were five customized tCs at SEMA ready to strut their stuff. The most intimidating for this version was the tC customized by James Lin. Lin threw everything he had at the sports car and the result was a car that we would even take out and about. That being said, Pangilinan was a tough competitor as well as he tweaked the engine of this bad boy enough to tickle our fancies.
Pangilinan piqued our interest with a new turbocharger kit, a stainless steel turbo manifold, a new intake system, and RC 750cc injectors fitted right under the hood of the tC. We don’t know exactly what these changes have resulted in, since no official numbers were given, but we can’t imagine a tuner would strap on 18" race wheels and a new Brembo Gran Turismo Big brake kit for a minor boost.
The exterior of the Scion tC features a new exterior package that includes a Jon Sibal Custom Designed Seibon TC GT Carbon Fiber widebody kit, a Seibon carbon fiber hood Aerocatch hood latch, Seibon custom carbon fiber trunk, an APR carbon custom rear wing, APR carbon fiber side mirrors, and a carbon fiber wrapped roof. Exterior PPG paint was applied by Kelly & Son. For the interior, the tuner is offering new Recaro seats, a custom wrapped personal steering wheel, and embroidery by Top Stitch.
This exterior of this tC may look the part of a delectable racer, but the proof is in the pudding, which is why we can’t wait to see the new performance numbers for this tasty little treat when we hit the SEMA floor.
UPDATE 03/09/2011: Import tuner has reviewed John Pangilinan’s racing tC and - good news! - they have provided specifications for the racer. Thanks to all of the modifications made to the engine, the tC GT delivers an impressive 333 whp and 303 lb-ft of torque at only 8 psi of boost. Want more? Check out the new images of the car in the gallery provided.
The fifth and last customized Scion tC to be displayed at the SEMA Show comes from Shawn Baker. The inspiration behind this tC is that form follows function. Shawn Baker believes that it’s not really about how much you add to a customized car - could he be talking to James Lin? - it’s about how well you execute the aspect that you choose to customize.
Loving a clean look, Baker decided to turn the paint over to R Miller Autobody who added a beautiful matte black to the exterior. They followed that up with matte black features such as the A-pillars, mirrors, wiper deleted rain tray, smoothed engine bay, and rear duckbill spoiler. A racing solution RS2 Lip Kit - retro-fit and modified for tC2 fitment - was also added to the sleek vehicle. Then there’s the obligatory set of 19" 3-piece forged race SJC wheels.
For the interior, Shawn Baker went with a custom leather interior with baseball glove style rawhide stitching. The rear seat was stripped of its headrests while additional padding was added to the armrests. Up front, the tuner installed a NArdi Classic 360 mm steering wheel and a new Pioneer audio system. Under the hood there is a new turbo system, a new aluminum intercooler, and a racing SS turbo manifold.
You know the old saying where you "save the best for last?" That’s about where we stand with this Scion tC. It may have been the last customized Scion on the list of customized tCs, but its clean look and low key additions were just what we wanted to see.
Scion marks its return to the 2010 SEMA Show with an exciting selection of custom-built cars. One of the firsts is a tC Coupe customized by GReddy. Compared to a standard tC powered by a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine that develops 180 HP, GReddy tuned their model to an impressive 340 HP and 325 lb-ft of peak torque. In order to obtain this impressive output, the tuner is offering a new turbo kit, a front-mounted intercooler, a new exhaust system and of course ECU update.
Next to the engine upgrade, GReddy is also offering coilovers, Five-Axis Aero package, Scion optimized rear wing, a big brake upgrade, new 18" racing wheels painted in silver with an S and A design, and some GReddy graphics. Nothing has been said on what interior changes have been made, but we don’t see any of the Scion tCs getting too much of an interior upgrade this year. We do know, however, that there will be a nice set of Sparco Chrono seats covered in black leather.
Stay tuned as we head to SEMA for more details on this and many other vehicles attending the show!
