2013 Scion FR-S - Into The Wild Green Yonder (Part 2)

The E88s are wrapped in Toyo Proxes RS1 full slick competition tires, mounted and balanced. In front, the FR-S is flossing 245/640R18 rubber, and out back the rears roll on superwide, gently stretched 285/650R18s. To push the wheels out further, 15mm spacers were also installed.

The cabin of the FR-S does its best to emulate a proper race car. For seating, Recaro Profi SPG bucket seats rest on top of the Nagisa Auto ‘rails. Other changes consist of a suede-wrapped Momo Mod 78 steering wheel, Splash steering wheel hub adapter, and Safety 21 five-point, LHD rollbar.

Cusco helped brace the FR-S chassis with a host of its products, namely front and rear Type OS strut tower bars and an engine room brace. Instead of using typical round tubing the Type OS is made up of an oval shaft centre, allowing for less flex than round tubing. To further strengthen the bar, Cusco designed the Type OS with a small groove on each side. The forward brace also features a Brake Cylinder Stopper, a neat fitting that stiffens pedal feel.

Each corner of the FR-S was the source of considerable attention. Starting with the suspension, KW provided a set of its Variant 3 (V3) coilovers for the coupe, chosen because they permit a few levels of tenability in the handing department, allowing suspension settings to be matched to whatever wheel/tire combo the car runs. Stopping power is significantly ungraded with front and rear AP Racing big brakes sourced from Stillen, and racing-bred extended lug studs from ARP were pressed in.

The point of changing the car more than once was to illustrate some of the FR-S’s tuning potential. This was especially evident underhood, where Garage FR-S partnered with HKS to explore both naturally aspirated and forced induction options for the modestly powered sports car.

As it sits, the Garage FR-S Scion is blown with an HKS GT supercharger system, but before that the crew had installed at first a Premium Suction intake and then HKS’s Racing Suction setup. To aid in the outflow of spent gases, the Scion was outfitted with HKS’s lightweight Hi-Power Spec-L cat-back exhaust system, stainless header, and stainless front pipe. A Koyorad radiator keeps the high-strung Scion running cool, while a Cusco oil catch can helps deal with blow-by gases and oil mist.

As one might expect, the engine truly comes alive under boost. This prototype GT kit makes in the ballpark of 28 percent more power (201 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque by our testing) and improves the Scion’s critical power-to-weight ratio. HKS says they will be playing with different pulleys for boost on the production version of the GT Supercharger kit.

Getting the Garage FR-S Scion to this point has been a long and curious journey, and as a project car for three magazines, it still has plenty of life to go. It’s impossible to judge if the choices made so far have been the right ones, but an encouraging sign is all the love and attention the car got at the 2012 SEMA Show (it was the only Rocket Bunny-clad FR-S that was green). One thing we know for sure, the story of this car’s build had been covered like few others, informing an enthusiast community – via GarageFRS.com – that is quickly lining up to make this new “86” as indelible as the last.