Scion will rock SEMA with 3 amazing tC tuner cars

The annual Scion Tuner Challenge is on. Three cool designs will vie for the top prize at SEMA.

Scion has announced the three finalists of the Scion SEMA Challenge. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas is the place that all the aftermarket suppliers of the automotive world gather annually to show the state of the art equipment available to bolt onto one’s special car. The tC is the Scion focus this year.

Sure the new Scion FR-S is a hot sports car beloved by enthusiasts, but the tC pays all the bills. The Scion tC accounts for about 40% of all the Scions ever sold. It is also about 30% less expensive than the FR-S, more tunable, and about as quick. In its ninth year, the challenge supplies a new Scion tC and $15K to entrants that have proven track records of building amazing show cars and which have a design that Scion thinks worthy of exploring to its fullest. This year’s design winners are Josh Croll of Mertztown, Pa., Walter Franco of Seattle and Young Tea of Alhambra, Calif.

The finalists were selected by Scion’s new partner in the Challenge, Super Street magazine. Super Street is dedicated to the tuner lifestyle. The editors will also be part of the judging panel. Commenting on this year’s SEMA Challenge Jonathan Wong, editor of Super Street magazine said “The Scion Tuner Challenge gives talented builders an arena to showcase their skills and their passion for cars. Super Street is excited to be a part of this year’s challenge and can’t wait to see the final builds at SEMA.”

The 2014 tC is just hitting showrooms and will be fresh for the show this year. Scion Corporate Manager Dave Harbuck added that “Scion’s events at the SEMA Show continue to showcase the creativity of car builders around customization and the personality they bring to their cars. We’re looking forward to seeing what this year’s finalists create.”

The Scion tC is a 2+2 compact, sporty car. Front driven, it uses a Toyota 2.5 liter cylinder engine and can be mated to either a six speed manual, or coupled with the company’s new rev-matching 6 speed manu-matic. The tC shares a lot of its DNA and personality with the Celica GT, from which it was originally derived. A popular tuner addition is a turbocharger which can boost power to well over 300 horsepower.

Scion’s judges will announce the winner on Nov. 6 at the SEMA Show. First place is $10,000. Second prize is a set of steak knives (just a little shout out to our Glen Gary fans.)