Praise goes to the design manager of the Scion xB. Dude has balls big enough that'd make a blue whale drown in envy. When it comes to stodgy old Japanese businessmen, I'd think twice before pitching a design inspired by a transient's cardboard dwelling. After all, theirs is a culture that encourages acts of self-inflicted, suicidal stabbing after instances of dishonor.
Besides being endowed with a pair of Kevlar-infused brass nads, I've a few other speculations about the designer. One, his favorite shapes consist of right angles, particularly the rectangle. Two, he owned at least one lunch pail during his formative years. Three, he was a big fan of the Astro van. Four, he likes his anime Super Deformed. And five, he read up on Toyota's corporate guidelines, paying particular attention to their policy of discouraging acts of seppuku for funky designs.
But like a three-boobied Martian, the xB takes some time to get used to. The beauty of its design is in its simplicity, and it works. With some time. Its too small for its frame shape gives it its character and, dare I say, is cute in a freaky little Pokemon sense. Andrey Tolentino out of Canyon Country thought so too, although he probably wouldn't use the same adjective to describe why he likes the xB. Working at the Northridge Toyota parts department, Andrey bought this '06 Scion xB as a commuter to keep his show-worthy C230 Mercedes at home. And having built several trophy winning imports and a brother who owned Tolentino Motoring-a shop out in sunny Lancaster, CA-the Scion stayed stock about as long as an ice cream sundae would last the first night of fat camp.
The first thing you might notice about Andrey's xB is how cleanly executed the boxy package is. A simple Kenstyle lip kit painted the stock Polar White Jungle Fever-ed by the black of the carbon hood, trunk, and spoiler compels a double take on the streets. While yes, this is nothing revolutionary, tippy-toe (or if you're short Asians like us, grab a stool, chair, or piggyback) and take a look at the roof. That ain't black paint gone awry, but carbon fiber custom laid by A&A Autoworks. While you're perusing the exterior, take a closer look at the headlights, foglights, gas lid, window visor, trimmings, and decals. Look a little tastier than the average Scion? That's cause it's a bento box full of swapped JDM deliciousness.
What really sets this car off however, are the old-school-still-looks-dope-in-the-new-school 15x8 Work Equip 03s wrapped in Falken rubber. Slammed on Tanabe coilovers, TRD antiroll bars and a set of Cusco strut braces-a chronological anomaly-the sharp lines of the Equips accentuate the xB body lines like thongs on a Victoria's Secret model. Fastened by ultra-rare black chrome TRD lug nuts, the gold wheels brake harder courtesy of TRD brake pads and lines squeezed onto Rotora rotors.