Scion only recently unveiled the FR-S sports car - the American version of the Toyota GT 86 - and their racing arm is already unleashing the FR-S Race Car - a racing prototype developed in cooperation with GReddy. The Scion FR-S Race Car made its debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, but will be making its racing debut in the 2012 Formula DRIFT series with veteran driver, Ken Gushi, behind the wheel.
The FR-S Race Car was obviously inspired by the street version, but it will be further adopted for the race track. It will get an improved aerodynamic kit, racing livery, a larger rear wing that will maintain stability at high speeds, and of course, a racing oriented interior with a roll cage that will ensure security in case of a crash. The most impressive part, however, is that the FR-S Race Car will develop an impressive 600 HP - up from the car’s standard 200 HP.
Subaru has already announced plans to unveil an STI version of their new BRZ sports car and Toyotahas confirmed plans for a supercharged version of the GT 86. But what about Scion? Until now, the company hasn’t said anything about a more powerful version for their FR-S. Of course, this doesn’t mean we won’t see one because if Scion doesn’t bring an updated FR-S, there are always tuners available to get the job done.
A few days after the FR-S model’s official debut, tuning firm Greddy showed up at the Cars & Coffee event in Irvine, CA with a sporty FR-S. The tuner prepped the car by installing a prototype Type-S coil-over suspension, a big brake kit, and a Spectrum Elite SE exhaust system. Nothing was updated for the FRS’ 2.0-liter front boxer engine so it will still deliver 200 HP and 151 lb-ft of torque. After that, they added the obligatory new set of wheels with high performance 19" Volk Racing G12 wheels wrapped in Hankook V12 tires. Nothing extensive was done on the exterior or interior of the car, but GReddy did provide a custom "F-Sport" inspired black and blue color combination for both.
UPDATE 01/06/12: The first official photos of the Greddy-tuned Scion FR-S has been revealed. You can check out the US-bound sports car in all its Greddy digs in the gallery below. Be warned, though. The car looks hotter than we thought it would be.
Hit the jump to watch the Greddy FR-S rev its engine in California.
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For all of the press and hype surrounding the Toyota GT 86 and the Subaru BRZ, not a lot of people know or have given love to the third model of the bunch, the Scion FR-S.
All that’s about to change because the Scion FR-S has arrived. For those that have shed rivers of tears when they found out that neither the GT 86 nor the BRZ were headed Stateside, news that the FR-S will arrive in America is tantamount to a post Thanksgiving blessing.
Now, we’ve actually seen a concept version of the FR-S - called the FR-S Concept - at the New York Auto Show, so it really didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of us that the sports coupe was coming to the US, but seeing the concept and seeing the production version are two different things.
It doesn’t even matter that we’re not getting the GT 86 and the BRZ. We have the FR-S, and just like a child that comes to us, we’re going to shower it with as much love as we can possibly give.
Find out more about the Scion FR-S after the jump.
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Now, we know we have already seen two concepts- FT-86 and FT-86 II - for this vehicle, but will have to endure one more as Toyota has brought us yet another FT-86 concept. This time it has been revealed at the New York Auto Show under the Scion badge and it won’t go into production until Toyota finally brings their production version later this year at the Tokyo Motor Show. The Scion FR-S Concept is a preview version of a new model coming to the Scion brand next year.
"Scion is always experimenting with new things," said Jack Hollis, Scion vice president. "The brand is iconic with the xB, adrenalized by the tC, and groundbreaking with the iQ. The FR-S will expand the brand into yet another new dimension that I know it is truly destined for."
Like with the other Toyota model, the Scion model is being inspired by the AE86 generation of the Corolla, better known as the Hachi-Roku, meaning "8-6" in Japanese. The concept is being built on a rear-wheel-drive platform and is powered by a 2.0-liter boxer front engine that can be mated with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission.
UPDATE 04/28/2011: Toyota has revealed a new video showing off the Scion FR-S concept’s revving engine. The sound should be the same or very similar for all three Scion FR-S / Toyota-Subaru FT-86 cars since they will all feature the same Boxer engine and exhaust setup. Hit the jump for the video.
UPDATE 05/20/2011: Testing is still underway for the Scion FR-S, and while it was circling the track, spy photographers were able to get a shot of the newly fitted and massive wing attached to the back. Seems a little exaggerated to us, but hey, we’ve waited so long to see this car in action that we will take just about anything they throw at us at this point. Check out the video after the jump.
UPDATE 06/24/2011: Scion has unveiled a new video of their latest FR-S concept in which Ken Gushi - a resident Scion Racing driver - talks about about the Scion FR-S concept car and what it means to him. For those that don’t recognize the name, Gushi started his driving career in the iconic Toyota AE86 also known as the "hachiroku". The AE86 is important because the FR-S is modeled after the prime drifting vehicle.
UPDATE 11/10/2011: SEMA may be all about tuning projects, but next to a bunch of updated iQs, Scion also took the opportunity to show us the FR-S Concept. Check out the gallery to see all of the live images from the show.
Hit the jump to read more about the Scion FR-S Concept. Full story
Scion’s fleet of SEMA-bound iQ’s has taken in another world-famous designer in the name of one Jon Sibal. Just like Michael Chang and Tatsu, Scion gave the keys to Sibal to personally design his own iQ to be displayed at SEMA.
With this program, Sibal sought out the help of a number of partners to design his iQ, including MVDesignz, Veilside Premier, Nitrous Express, HRE Wheels, and Air Runner System, to name a few.
The first two were given the task of dressing up the iQ’s exterior and they most certainly went to work on it. MVDesignz put in the iQ’s Matte Metallic Grey paint finish with Bronze Pearl accents. Meanwhile, Veilside Premier put in a number of modified parts including a front bumper, front fenders, a vented hood, side skirts, and a rear bumper. Other exterior enhancements include a Roadwire custom sunroof, smoked frosted lights, LED daytime running lights, an Air Runner System suspension set-up, and a set of 18" HRE 567C Forged wheels wrapped on Toyo Proxes 4 tires with a Stop Tech braking system.
Under its hood, the iQ-RX was also given an array of upgrades in the form of some nitrous additions, including a Nitrous Express universal fly-by-wire single nozzle system, a purge system with a D-4 manifold, and a dual vent purge line kit. The mere addition of nitrous to the iQ makes this one a certified bottle rocket on wheels.
The interior of the iQ-RX is a virtual techie’s playground, thanks to the car being set-up with a motorized 32" Samsung LED TV on the rear that goes well with the XBox 360 right next to it. And oh, there’s also an iPad 2 and an elaborate audio set-up courtesy of Orion Car Audio.
Updated 11/09/2011: Check the picture gallery to see new images of the Scion iQ-RX by Jon Sibal from the SEMA Show.
