News From Around The World - The Tune Car Scene

[navylife59]

Being that I travel all over the world, I am afforded the opportunity to see, first-hand, "How it's done" outside of the US. This sticky will be for downloading this information for your viewing pleasure. Let's see if the other forums can keep up!

[navylife59]

This journey starts in the past with the beginning of my travels abroad. Let's drift back in time to late Summer 2003. Uncle Sam decided to provide me with an all expenses paid trip to Japan for 2.5 months. This was my very first look at the tuner scene. Problem, I was stationed south of the megatropolis. No Tokyo Drift here.

What I did see were these curious little boxes tool'n around. My Japanese companion shunned my attempts to call it a box. Even the warm moniker of "toaster" was dually disregarded. "It is called bB. It is Toyota, very large and respected company. Please do not make fun of it", I was sternly told. My thoughts were, "Wow, nobody in the States would drive this except maybe the eclectic crowd". I was soon to be proven wrong.

Later that Fall, that same companion and I were strolling by a Toyota dealership. Spread up on a large poster was the sweetest looking Japanese car that I had seen in a long time. After a few minutes of conversation, the salesman notified my friend that this car, "is part of America only company. Car sold only to America. Car will not be available for year". There was trouble in the translation of the word Scion to descendant as this was confusing to my Japanese friend. The car was, you guessed it, the Scion tC. I later learned that the bB that I had seen on the streets was already being exported to the US.

Just think, I was one of the relatively few persons from the US that had any knowledge of the upcoming Scion tC. Even before Jotech had built the very first Scion tC show car for the 2005 SEMA, I was on the hunt for the elusive Scion tC. Not much was to be had except the odd poster as the Japanese market was on a complete blackout about the new Scion. Back Stateside all that I received was static from the Dealers, "Scion? What's that?". Toyota Corporate only provided the standard rhetoric, "Toyota has many new projects in the works. We do not not have a release date as of yet. Please check at Toyota Cars, Trucks, SUVs & Accessories in a few weeks" This went on for about a year. Finally the announcement was made and the info began to siphon out of Toyota; the new Scion tC is here, even though, it's by special online order only.

[navylife59]

Scion is marketed only the US markets. The xA and xB both had counterparts that sold in Japan under a Toyota badge. The tC is the only one sold strictly to the US, including all it's territories. So far, I have seen the entire Scion line-up (sans xD) in Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, and the State of Hawaii. US military auto sales ship US market vehicles to US bases in other countries. This is the only backdoor to export Scion tC's. So far, I have only seen tC tooling around Sigonella, Sicily.

[navylife59]

Just back from Trinidad in the island nation of Trinidad & Tobago. No Scions here but I did spot a black bB. Trinidad has some crazy traffic for the 1.3 million citizens but the roads are a tuner's dream. We are talking about ultra smooth asphalt mix with lengthy straights and climbing twisties. Too bad they drive on the left side of the road.

Honda was the predominate choice of the tuner crowd with Nissan being next in popularity. Mitsubishi and Toyota only fielded a few examples. These cars were not the standard models shipped to the US markets, though, some could possibly be from US market. Nissan Sunny Saloons and Toyota Hilux compact trucks numbered most on the streets. Surprisingly, there were few budget racers out there. These were mainly the non-US models.

Mod of choice, which so happens to make me salivate , was the use of blue lights. Apparently, blue is not a color reserved for emergency use. You name it, blue halos, LED accents, head lamps, running lights; they were tastefully done. To go along with those ultra smooth roads, were plenty of ultra sweet body kits. No Fast and Flurious Rice here. Just clean body lines blended into subtle ground effects. Some did go a tad bit beyond aerodynamic construct, but these were rides that were put together with skill. I only noticed one FMIC from my limited experience on the island.

[navylife59]

In the 3 years since I have visited this tiny island nation in the Persian Gulf, the motorsport scene has grown exponentially. Since the Bahrain International Circuit was built, each year has brought advances various forms of racing, such as, cart, drag racing with Bahrain Drag Racing Club, 4x4, and watercraft sports. Mustangs are very popular with a few Camaros. Musclecars are here but always in hiding from the sand. Imports that you would see in the States like Mazda 3, Honda CRX, Civic, and Preludes are represented even more than I remember

Toyota has quickly become the car of choice for most people from the Yaris to the Camry to the big Lexus models. The new Sequoia 5.7L (no Tundra's yet). I even saw 2 Toyota badged xA's. The pic is poor as it was from a dirty glass window.


Alas, no tC's spotted yet. I have word into the BDRC requesting any info that they may have of any tC's tearing it up on the streets. No word yet. Bahrain is a very progressive society so it is only a matter of time before someone gets one here.

Update: It is official, the Kingdom of Bahrain has Scions. The count of xA sightings is up to 5. Now these were all Toyo badged models save for the last one that I could have sworn had a Scion badge. The presence of Scion Brand was confirmed when I spotted white Scion xB. So now the tally is xA=5 and xB=1 but still no tC.

[navylife59]

Well, it's a new year and a new Det cycle overseas. Finally made it back to Sicily. My first full day and what do I see? Low and behold a mighty tC! A black one (did not pay attention to the taillights) that I think is the same one back from 2006. I am not positive as it could be another one tooling around. Do my best to hunt this guy down for a chat.

[navylife59]

Found another tC here in Sicily. It is a 2006 Indigo Ink outfitted with a TRD axle-back, lowered (TRD springs perhaps), LED's in headlights, tint, smoked rear emblems, weighted manual shift knob (Razo?), Enkei RPF1 black wheels, JDM TRD badged black wire grille (upper/lower), and yellow VRD's. Forgot to check the tires. Sure wish that I had brought my camera. I am making it my mission to talk with the Shipmate that owns it.

[navylife59]

Found a black '07-up tC on station NAS Rota, Spain. There is now a Spanish tC running the bulls!

[StreetBrawler89]

Hottness..try and grab some pics!

[navylife59]

Yes, a Club-tC.com exclusive. Bet the other guys (forums) don't have a World Scion reporter. Too bad I did not bring my camera on this trip.

[navylife59]

This year, I am seeing more Scions. So far, I have seen a very nicely done xA and a funky looking xB gen2. Making it's debut was a stock xD. Still looking for the elusive tC though. If I could only talk to the local race crowd, I am sure I could convince one of these rich dudes to shell out the cash and bring one to the island thru back channels.