Scions are owning recent car shows. These guys roll in huge cliques and really represent their brand, each with a unique and sometimes entertaining style. Some owners choose a tuner theme to show their style; others go way over-the-top; almost following in a Japanese Bosozoku fashion; some attempt to add a touch of luxury to their econo-boxes – and all variations were represented well at Heat Wave.

But for some reason, this VIP-styled xB really grabbed my attention. Now, (no offense) Scion will never truly be considered a car that can be part of the VIP styling craze since it’s not part of the luxury marques, but this xB was just clean and well thought-out. The basic low profile body kit, the deep dish color-coded monobloc style wheels, the chrome trim – all followed the VIP styling with a slight sport compact flair. But the color-coded minibar extending from the dash is what really grabbed me and had me giggling like a Japanese school girl. The rest of the interior followed the color-coded theme, finishing off the simple and clean design of this xB. Nice job! Check out the Gallery after the jump.

Continue reading "Scion Owners Owned Heat Wave" »

I had a feeling the eBox would win our "greenest" track car trophy, but I didn’t realize it would be so reliable throughout the day, and so fast. Josh took me on a quick drag run (and this is after the car had been beat on all day) and I can attest firsthand that this electric Scion is quick! It pulled happily all the way to 90mph before Josh backed off, and all the while the car was totally quiet.

The AC Propulsion conversion, done to first generation Scion xBs, costs close to $50k. But the car has a range of 150 miles and the recharge time is quite short. AC Propulsion didn’t do anything special to prepare for the track event. Other than the electric conversion, this is a bone stock xB, including the suspension. It helps that Josh (a vehicle product engineer for AC Propulsion) is a very skilled driver–he normally pilots an M Coupe track car.

Between sessions Josh took the eBox back to his little tent, plugged the car in and ran the AC to bring the battery temps down. Then he’d go back out onto the track and flog the little car some more. It ran in all four sessions, then Josh charged it up once more, hopped in and drove home to Monrovia, which was about 130 miles away.

What did the other racers think? Everyone loved it, and Josh got a big cheer when he got up on the podium to accept his trophy (he also scored third place in Shop Junior Varsity).

So how exactly did it win the "greenest track car" trophy? Well, we had John Fabijanic from Cal Poly on hand to determine the winner, and I have his full methodology after the jump.

Continue reading "The Greenest Track Car" »

It took a bit of poking and prodding, but we managed to round up four "green" track cars for the Grassroots Motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge on Sunday. We have two Jetta TDIs–the Chili Pepper Racing TDI and the Kerma TDI. We’ll also have the AC Propulsion eBox, which currently holds the 1/8th mile record with the National Electric Drag Racing Association for a street conversion. And finally, we have the Organic Racing Lotus 7 replica (an E85-powered WCM Ultralite S2K). These four will compete to see who’s the fastest, and who’s the greenest. Stay tuned for full coverage of Sunday’s event at Buttonwillow.

I’m very happy to see that we have an electric vehicle entered in the green track car category at the Ultimate Track Car Challenge. Yep, it’s a Scion, converted to electric by AC Propulsion. And this box is no slouch: it currently holds the 1/8th mile record in the National Electric Drag Racing Association for a street conversion. Can’t wait to see this thing go up against the gas-powered cars at Buttonwillow!

Want to learn more about the Grassroots Motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge? Check out cardomain.com/grm.

I saw this badass Scion in the March issue of Hot Rod and got in touch with Rick, the owner, who kindly built a ride page for it on our site. Yep, it’s a RWD xB with a stroked 350 putting out 400 hp. Other than the Weld Draglites (which look killer on this car IMO) it’s a total sleeper. Click through to the ride page for more pics. The car is the paint shop now, and Rick plans to have it finished by April–we’ll definitely keep you posted.