View Gallery

Smooth Move... Scion’s New Steez
RSR Scion tC

Well, it's official...Scion has finally come out of the closet with their new gift to the world of drifting. Last night I attended a Scion PR event held at Smooth's Sports Bar in Long Beach which put to rest any and all speculation surrounding the rumor of a Scion Drift Team. Scion has in fact, partnered with RS*R and has converted a front wheel drive tC sports coupe into an aspiring member of the 2008 Formula D winner's circle.

The pilot of this new, rather impressive looking vehicle is Ken "The Gush" Gushi, a former team member of Ford Racing. While at the event, in between refilling my cup with complimentary Crown, I had the chance to check out the car and talk to Ken about how all of this came to be. "When I was approached by RS*R and Scion I jumped at the opportunity to be part of this team." said Ken. "I saw this as something new and exciting not only for me but for drifting as a whole. Plus, Scion as a brand is such a great fit with my personality and the youth (automotive) enthusiast movement."

Based on the tC's initial specs that have been released, this car certainly appears to be capable of being competitive on the track. It's light, with an aggressive stance and packs enough punch (an estimated 400 whp) to nimbly put Ken into and out of the kinds of maneuvers he will execute in this year's FD series. According to The Gush, "aerospace technology and materials were used in the construction of the drive shaft". Perhaps a little known fact that provides a good glimpse into the level of commitment that RS*R, Scion and their other partners such as Toyo Tires have made to this effort.

In theory and on paper everything looks peachy. But real life application is another story. With the tC making it into the final 16 at the first Formula D event of 2008, Ken G is confident that everything will hold up just fine. However, there are still those that are speculative of what this car and its driver will accomplish. "I've been hearing some controversy about the car" remarked Ken when I asked him whether or not he was prepared to take some flak. "I'm not really worried about that stuff. Scion and RS*R know what they're doing and they do a great job." Ken had this to say to any haters out there after his inability to make it into the top 8 of FD's Streets of Long Beach, "This car exceeded my expectations overall, especially with the limited testing beforehand. I can't wait for Road Atlanta."

SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE
3SGE Beams motor
Peterson external oil pump
Tom's dry sump pan
HKS GT3037 turbo, external wastegate, intercooler, camshafts
Blitz Dual SBC boost controller
Toda 2.2 L stroker kit
Koyo aluminum radiator
BDL 72mm throttle body
SX fuel regulator and fuel pump
850cc injectors; custom center exit exhaust

DRIVETRAIN
G-Force five-speed sequential transmission
Tilton triple carbon clutch; Kaaz LSD

SUSPENSION
RS-R coilovers
custom control arms and tie rods

WHEELS/TIRES
Enkei RPF1 (18x9.5 front, 18x10.5 rear)
Toyo Proxes R1R tires (245/40/18 front, 265/35/18 rear)

BRAKES
Project Mu four-piston front calipers and rotors, brake lines, custom modified four-piston rear calipers and rotors (two pistons controlled by the foot brake, two pistons controlled by the hand brake), brake pads

EXTERIOR
Custom concept wide body kit

INTERIOR
Sparco Corsa seats, six-point harnesses, steering wheel, shift knob
Design Craft spec custom roll cage.

ELECTRONICS
Stack dash display; AEM EMS engine management