With the number of people tuning Scions growing daily, it was only a matter of time before there would eventually be a showdown between the top tuners out there. And that's exactly what happened last year when Scion held its "Scion Tuner Challenge" to find out who really is top dog in the scene stateside.
Scion could have held a dance-off or played rock-scissors-paper to determine a winner, but thankfully, they had a better plan. They chose to have the competition organized and judged by the National Custom Car Association (NCCA). The NCCA sets the rules for and judges the Hot Import Night shows, so they are more than qualified to set up a little contest between the top Scion builders from around the nation. And thus, the Scion Tuner Challenge was born.
The rules were simple: Scion picked three clubs and gave them each one of three identical 2006 xA's, and $15,000 to modify the car however they pleased. The stipulation being that the cars would be judged at the 2006 SEMA show in Las Vegas and a winner declared. The rules stated that the cars did not need to be street legal and, if you are wondering, no, the teams don't get to keep the cars indefinitely. What the winning team does keep are the bragging rights to smashing the competition in an OEM tuning contest... quite a claim to be able to make.
Once the cars were judged and the dust cleared; Team Hybrid of Southern California emerged the victorious tuning team. And it's easy to see why they won; their xA is one of the slickest-looking B-segments we've seen in a while... and probably the hottest xA ever featured in this magazine.
Surprisingly, this is the first Xa they've built. Team Hybrid has experience building all types of imports. They've built show cars out of just about any popular platform we can think of. And judging by what they've done to this car, the 12 years of pioneering the import scene have been worth it all.
All the requisite showcar modifications are done with an attention to detail that looks almost OEM in it's application. Covered in stunning House of Kolor Kandy Solar Gold paint, the DTM blister fenders and quarter panels merge seamlessly with a set of JDM Air Walker front bumpers and side skirts. Topped off with a black bBiSt carbon-fiber hood and rear hatch, the black-on-gold scheme looks like a million bucks.
In addition to giving it an aggressive, squat look, the wider fenders allowed Team Hybrid to stuff some massive (relative to the car's size) 235/30/19 BFGoodrich T/A KDW2 rubber, mounted on a AME Shallen Cx wheels measuring 19x10, under all four wheelwells. But it takes more than a great body kit and shiny paint to win something as illustrious as the Scion Tuner Challenge.
Their attention to detail was extended to the inside and the interior was done up in style. Pop the hatch of this badass ride and you'll be confronted by four huge SoundStream amplifiers, a pair of Reference subwoofers and a 5-inch LCD screen; all mounted on a custom-built CREATiVe enclosure and painted to match the exterior. The rest of the stereo, including two additional SoundStream amps, four more SoundStream speakers, a 15-inch monitor on the inside of the hatch and two SoundStream 8-inch monitors with built-in DVD players for the passengers provide ample opportunity for the driver and passengers to entertain themselves.