The purpose behind the buildup of this tC serves as a follow-up to our first Scion venture, the xB DJ project; think of it as a complementary vehicle, if you will. When Scion launched, it wanted to have three purpose-built cars that would represent each of its product models, the xA, xB, and the tC. We were responsible for two of them, the xB and the tC, while LJ Garcia would build an xA. Of course, the xB became widely popular because of the DJ set up, but with the tC, Scion wanted it to be heavily modified with multimedia functions. It had to work around a concept in that the owner could sit behind the wheel of the car and work on graphic-related programs rather than just watch television; it had to have some sort of interface. That's basically the premise of the tC, which lead us to that massive 43-inch Pioneer flat screen and how we could incorporate that into the overall design.
Making that TV to fit into the trunk wasn't easy. As far as articulation and movement, that was all up to us; Scion just wanted it to somehow come out of the back. From a practical standpoint, the only way we could get it to work was to have it lift up vertically and pivot out because the screen was too big to fit into the trunk. The actual width of the screen was an inch too big, so we modified the opening of the trunk, which most people don't realize because unless you know the dimensions of the car, you'd never know.
Getting it to go down into the trunk required us to cut a 4-inch pit into the floor so that the lever mechanism could actually come out from the bottom of the car. We made sure to cover that area with the rear ground effects so you won't see it, and that's what blows people away. When the TV, subs, and speakers come forward, they can't figure out how it goes back in.
To keep the dynamics of the tC, we couldn't just have the screen pop up and that's it; we also had the speakers come forward and the deck lip flip up. To further enhance the Pioneer product, we placed monitor screens on the side windows.
As far as the exterior design, that was our concept. It's an F1, DTM-inspired creation--and very aerodynamic. Instead of putting the wing on top of the vehicle, we did this suspended aero design, so that's how you get that front end. A widebody was a must because everyone likes that look along with the deep-dish wheels. And rather than making it look bolt-on, we wanted something that would blend in, hence the rear quarter panels being molded into the body. The bright color obviously complements the orange xB well, and the matte finishes have a standout look over polished chrome, giving it a race performance look along with the carbon-fiber accents. For now, the body kit is still a one-off, but we might consider putting it into a limited production run. The interior was kept pretty minimal, but it's still sporty. We used suede on top of some panels and used the Sparco material for the rear seats. We just tried to keep it clean and not overstate it with a million monitors all over the place.
Conceptually, we come up with our designs in the same manner as most professional design studios. We discuss it in-house and come up with four or five first drafts, and then we narrow it down to a final. Most of the process is done on paper, but the final concept is completed on a computer. Our designer, Heiming Chan, comes up with the concepts, we pick two we like, and then we send them to Scion so it can see what we're thinking. Scion will back up whichever design we choose to go with instead of telling us what to do. Of course, once we start designing in 3-D, we'll see other features that we'll tweak here and there, so it's always an ongoing process, even until it's finalized. Surprisingly, the version you see today isn't far off from the original sketch, and it took us nearly half the year to complete.
Engine-wise, GReddy came onboard and supplied us with a prototype turbocharger system, which comes with a TD05-18G turbo. It's pretty insane, but it needs to be dialed in. Right now it's estimated at 230 hp, which is 70 hp more than stock, and it's only at 6 psi of boost. The G-Games wheels from Rays feature offsets that were custom-modified to fit our specifications. The offsets also required us to weld the fender in a different place than normal, so that's why the valve stems are located on the wrong side of the rim.
If or when Scion releases a new model, and if it decides to bring it to us to build up, we'd probably do it up big, as we've been known to do; maybe something widebody. There always has to be some sort of transformation. We like our cars to turn into something that's unexpected. Like the xB before and the tC now, it's what makes our cars unique. 0