LAS VEGAS: For this year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association show, Scion, Toyota’s America-only marque for up-and-coming car buyers, will be showcasing models going from subtle luxury to extreme styling based on LA culture and horror series.
Whether it’s called the Toyota GT 86 in Europe or the Scion FR-S in the US, whatever the hood emblem, the car that wears it is one of the best affordable sports coupes on sale anywhere in the world.
It has a willing boxer engine sitting as low as possible for the best centre of gravity. Drive from its four cylinders goes only to the rear wheels, and, because those wheels are shod in low-rolling resistance tyres, the car offers tail-out controlled oversteer on demand, pretty much at any speed and in any gear.
Unsurprisingly the Scion FR-S has become in recent years the de-facto automotive guinea pig for aftermarket and customization firms to show off their capabilities at SEMA – from exaggerated body kits, to huge wheels and generous servings of turbocharging, with very mixed results.
Now Scion has unveiled its own take, the limited edition Release Series 2.0. Just 1,000 numbered examples will be available and each gets a full black Alcantara interior with caramel accents. The steering wheel and gear knob are leather wrapped, there’s a smart key and push button start, dual-zone air conditioning and special door sill plates. Outside, the car sports a special Lunar Storm paint finish, front and rear spoilers and 17-inch matte black multi-spoke alloys. And all for just US$29,510.
“The FR-S is well known for being a fabulous sports car, and now we’re taking it up a notch in the luxury arena,” said Scion Vice President Andrew Gilleland. “It’s the perfect car to take from the race track during the day to the red carpet that evening.”
Scion will also be serving up versions of its iM five-door hatchback and iA sedan.
Two streetwear brands, illicit and Crooks and Castles have both overhauled an iM in line with their apparel ranges and customer base, while Eddie Huang, the writer behind book and TV adaptation “Fresh Off the Boat,” has reimagined the iA sedan as a modern version of the classic LA lowrider with a gold-plated grille and the ability to raise and lower its wheels.
But it’s the Outcast, inspired by the horror comic of the same name and conceived by Skybound Entertainment, that’s going to cause the biggest potential commotion when delegates arrive at this year’s Las Vegas event today. Built to behave like it’s possessed by evil sprits, it will move and jerk independently thanks to clever pneumatics and will even breathe smoke, make demonic noises and glow different colours.
Keyword: An eclectic mix for Scion at SEMA