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Scion's SEMA show cars display tuner creativity [w/videos]

Scion brought four FR-S concepts to SEMA this year and one xB concept, while another three Scion tCs were brought to the show by three different shops that are competing in Scion's Tuner Challenge. The modified Scions range from mild to insane, and show how popular they are in the tuner world.
The Tuner Challenge teams brought unique creations to SEMA, after Scion gave each of them a tC, $15,000 and 90 days to modify it. At 11:00 AM on Wednesday, judges picked the Young Tea Scion Simpli-tC as the winner, the Walter Franco Scion L-DZ Concept got second, and third place went to the Josh Croll Scion WSD-tC. Check out the three videos below to watch the tC builds from start to finish.
Out of the FR-S concepts brought to the show, we're gravitating toward the GReddy Performance x Scion Racing Drift FR-S (top), which has the venerable 2JZ-GTE turbocharged straight-six engine in place of the flat-four that comes standard in the rear-wheel-drive coupe - ready to pump out 750 horsepower - and the Bulletproof FR-S Concept One, which features a striking, handmade wide body and a heavily modified, turbocharged flat-four that puts out 500 hp.

2014 Scion tC

Once upon a time, the Scion brand sought to bring more youthful buyers into the Toyota stable. In the early 2000s, Scion launched with its plucky xA and xB hatchbacks, and a lot of people bought into its affordable, customizable, funky lineup - myself included. I was once the proud owner of a 2006 xB, and though the box-on-wheels wasn't really a proper enthusiast machine by any means, I loved its unique driving dynamics, clever packaging and fresh style.
Following those two hatches, Scion released its tC coupe - a modestly sporty little thing that stayed true to the brand's core values of being affordable, neat-looking and endlessly customizable. People really dug the first-generation tC, and with good reason - it offered a bit more personality than a comparable Honda Civic Coupe, effectively the only other two-door compact then on the market from Japan. And for folks who wanted a sporty, low-cost two-door, the tC was a pretty decent buy.
But then Scion changed. The xA was killed and the comparatively frumpy xD bowed as its replacement. The xB was totally renewed, but it got bigger, heavier and less attractive in the process. And then after a few years of standing idle (will we ever see xD/xB replacements?), Toyota birthed the Scion FR-S - a properly sporty, enthusiast-minded rear-drive coupe created with the help of Subaru. I really dig the FR-S - if I had to buy something from the Toyota/Lexus/Scion stable, it's easily the car I'd want. But by offering a properly good two-door package with its new coupe, where has that left the older, front-drive tC?

2017 Scion FR-S getting slight power bump?

A common refrain when discussing the Scion FR-S and its sibling the Subaru BRZ is that they are capable vehicles but are in need of more power. The latest rumors suggest that some more muscle might finally be on the way for the coupe's refresh. Don't expect something like the STI Performance Concept with a 300-horsepower, turbocharged flat-four, though – the gains in the real world are likely to be significantly more modest. According to Toyota insiders speaking with Motoring in Australia, the local Toyota GT86 (our FR-S) is due for a styling and powertrain refresh for the next model year. The 2.0-liter boxer four-cylinder engine isn't expected to get a drastic power increase, but it's not being completely neglected. A new intake manifold and friction reductions reportedly allow for five percent more grunt. If accurate, and if the changes also come here, that would take output of the US version to 210 hp and 159 pound-feet of torque. The adjustments could improve fuel economy by seven percent, as well. Handling is already a forte for the FR-S and BRZ, and things could get even better with this refresh. Motoring claims that dampers from Sachs might become standard equipment, along with a reinforced subframe. The close relationship with the BRZ reportedly rules out any dramatic changes to the styling for this update. However, the coupe is still likely to wear a new hood with vents in it, reshaped headlights, and a revised fascia with a larger lower grille. At the rear, expect a rear diffuser and exhaust pipes at the corners. While minor compared to all of these rumored updates, Scion recently gave the FR-S a few tweaks in the US for the 2016 model year (pictured above). In addition to some new colors and interior trim, it now comes standard with a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system and rearview camera.