The wait is finally over. The FR-S is officially dropping in a few months. After three years of picturesque renderings and prototype vehicles popping up at auto shows, the newest and arguably hottest Scion will be sold at dealerships around the United States in the spring of this year. (It’s about damn time! Ed.) There are numerous reasons why so much hype has been following this car . . . and with just cause. But if you’re still not convinced, here’s IT’s Top 7 reasons why your next car should be an FR-S.

You are not allowed to know whom these cars belong to. You are not allowed to know the owner’s name, age, exact location, occupation, hobbies, or what motivated these ridiculously amazing builds. Seriously. Why? Well, because that’s how they want it. Quite out of the ordinary, I know. You better believe that it would take quite an extraordinary set of circumstances for us at Import Tuner to even give this type of situation a second thought much less actually go through with it. But sometimes you just can’t say no. Sometimes the situation is so captivating and the car (in this case, cars) is so sick that you are willing to make an exception, throw convention aside, and just do it anyway. And this, my friends, is one of those situations.

Over the past 10 years, Subarus have turned into a staple of the automotive tuning industry. Starting as a more niche, specialty tuner car in the 1980s, Subarus have exploded into the mainstream with the introduction of the American market Impreza WRX in 2002, and then going on to become the focus of various motorsport events throughout the United States and worldwide. With the spotlight on Subarus in events such as rally racing and time-attack, it seemed only natural to see the aesthetic styles of these purpose-built race cars carrying over onto the streets and, ultimately, into car shows. Jeff Hill’s ’05 Subaru STI is one of those cars that takes the time-attack race car style and applies it to the medium of car shows, resulting in an almost undefeatable juggernaut in the local car show community of the Pacific Northwest.

The MKIII Toyota Supra is hardly an icon in the automotive world. It has neither a cult following, nor is it really ever in the media. Some may go as far as to say that it’s simply flawed in design. The main offending factor is simply its weight; at close to two tons, the suspension is completely overworked just by attempting to keep up with the rest of the car. The engine has its fair share of nonbelievers as well, the 7M-GTE is notorious for blowing head gaskets and is generally not sought after by any means, especially not to propel such a heavy car. Only a true enthusiast would even consider an MA70 Supra as anything but a beater to get through a few winter seasons. But Russel Rumbawa is, in every meaning of the word, a true enthusiast. As one of a handful of people around the world who have successfully modified this platform, exclusive may be an understatement. It took the 36-year-old from Hawaii eight years to get this car to the state that it is now, and the end result is nothing short of impressive.

Every automobile serves a purpose to its owner. To the vast majority of drivers this purpose is as basic as it gets, an appliance that moves you comfortably and safely from point A to point B. To a smaller percentage of automobile owners, their mode of transportation has a bit more significance; some sort of sentimental value is involved where there is a desire to make their vehicle more than just a commuter. Those who fall into the second category may devote more time into keeping the car looking its best, a little more of their paycheck changing or adding parts to the car in an effort to get it to perform better than it was designed to from the factory. A third category of owners—the smallest percentage yet—includes those who devote their entire careers to building cars to fulfill their absolute potential. This category creates the parts the rest of us utilize. Hideki Takaku of Reverse is one of these people, an individual who took his passion to the next level and allowed it to become his career.

By now, we’ve all seen photos of the Scion FR-S and the new 4U-GSE 2.0L boxer engine (from Subaru) complete with D-4S direct-injection technology. Simply stated, this engine is nothing like the EJ205/EJ257 powerplants we’ve been offered in the Subaru WRX and STI. The 4U-GSE four-cylinder engine has been engineered from the ground up. What about engine tunability, you ask? That’s an ultimate question the aftermarket world is dying to learn. Only time will tell; the FR-S and its newly introduced platform leave us with a plethora of questions that shroud us in a fog of mystery. Until the very first tuner shops begin tearing apart this engine, we’re salivating at the mouth of its true capability. With a mind-boggling 12.5:1 compression ratio and twin injectors, the 4U-GSE’s full power comes on at 7,000 rpm with 151 lb-ft of torque at 6,600 rpm.

There are many ways to go about creating your dream project car. Different people work different ways, and likewise, have different methodologies when it comes to completing a build. The end result should be the same: a well-rounded build with attention paid to important details and a distinct sense of style that should be all your own. That’s what everyone strives for, whether you are planning on building a simple street cruiser, a full-blown show car, or a performance-minded race vehicle. The journey to the final product is where things get interesting. Not everyone operates the same way, and it’s reflected in the way we build our cars. Some save up and collect parts before putting their cars together, some don’t. Some enthusiasts plan meticulously and sort out every detail, while some just choose to wing it and build as they go. Variety is the spice of life, and hearing how your fellow enthusiast came about completing their project is often what helps to build relationships within the import automotive community. They are “war stories” so to speak. It gives validation that you shared the same trials and tribulations, even though the voyage may have been a different one. You can always just glance at a car and enjoy the way it looks, but you develop a deeper appreciation if you take the time to understand the thought process that went behind its creation.

Throughout my life, I’ve been in numerous incidents where my family or close friends had to bail me out of difficult situations. The owner of this pristine DC2 presented before you can certainly agree. As I read through William Vue’s tech sheet, I had a moment of déjà vu. I knew I’d read this stuff somewhere before. His responses sounded so familiar. An appreciation and gratitude toward family and friends, devout dedication to the Honda lineage complete with the “all or nothing” attitude for the build, Mugen parts and a ginormous amount of top-tier products littering the spec sheet reminded me of someone I knew. Am I in The Matrix? In reality, William’s story sounds a lot like mine, and I’m sure many readers can also relate.

If you are anything like us (based on your choice of reading material it might be safe to assume that you are) you may have spent a good amount of your youth playing video games. Why is it that the majority of the games we bought were of a very distinct genre? Whether your game of choice was Gran Turismo or Tokyo Extreme Racer, they all consisted of the same essential ingredients—cars, the ability to change the way they drove, and, of course, the ability to control them around a set course. The limits of the law set on us as children, although necessary, can be quite frustrating at times. Especially when the only thing you want is to call a car your own, change it to the point where it is completely yours, and most importantly, physically get behind the wheel and drive it. There is no way to satisfy that craving as a child. However, through virtual reality you can subdue it, distracting yourself to the point where you might even forget about the emptiness for a few hours. For Daniel Sarmiento this was exactly the case, he shared with us that while growing up, he spent excessive amounts of time on his PlayStation, playing anything from the aforementioned Gran Turismo to Midnight Club to Need For Speed. He dreamed about the day that he could finally take the leap from video games into reality, from his couch to the seat of a real car.

For an automotive enthusiast, the journey with your project car can be similar to having a relationship with another person; it is very easy to forget how you became a part of that relationship or why you are a part of it at all. Many people have experienced the pleasure of enjoying cars, not just utilizing them, some even on a very casual level—perhaps you pick up an automotive-related magazine once in a while or wash your car despite it being completely filthy. Over the years any sort of excitement you once felt about cars fades into the background of your life as other aspects take priority. Others experience what could most accurately be described as an obsession with anything car-related. From childhood they find themselves immersed in anything automotive, drooling over cars they someday hope to own.

By now everyone should know the Scion FR-S and the Subaru BRZ are both made in the same factory. Differences between the two cars are relatively minor with the front end and badges being the biggest thing to distinguish the two. Today Subaru announced the pricing for the BRZ so let’s take a look at what you’ll get compared to the Scion FR-S.

The fourth-generation Lexus GS is out and as fierce as ever. Get familiar with its new grille work, as this is the first car to sport the new look of Lexus cars. Both the GS350 and GS450h will come with 3.5L V-6 engines, but the later being a hybrid with a 29/34-mpg rating. Our favorite version, the GS350 F Sport, will come with more aggressive bumpers, larger rims, and offer an optional Lexus Dynamic Handling (LDH) system with Dynamic Rear Steering (DRS). They were kind enough to let Editor Charles Trieu (guess they didn’t know about his history of crashing cars) testdrive the GS350 on a closed track. Needless to say, he was raving about the nimbleness of the car with the optional rear steering. And for true Lexus ballers they’ve added another option, factory-equipped Mark Levinson audio. Don’t know Mark Levinson audio? Let’s just say they make home audio systems worth well over $100K. Of course, the one in the GS isn’t worth $100K, but it comes rather close to their $70K setup. Yes, buy a $60K car audio system from Lexus and they’ll throw in a free GS. Just tell them we sent you. They are definitely on “the pursuit of perfection”.

Editor’s Note: Worn, battered, and bruised, the FXMD NSX roars into the paddock just completing its second run session of the day. Posting an impressive 1:41 lap time, the NSX was fast enough to beat the official rear-wheel-drive record held by them last year but was still well short of the overall track record. The deafening roar of the engine comes to an abrupt halt in the paddocks as a handful of the team quickly goes to work making the necessary adjustments/changes to the NSX’s suspension, while the remaining crew focuses on repairing the melted boost lines from excessive heat just seconds before. Tyler McQuarrie, who is in charge of piloting the FXMD time-attack machine, quickly unsheathed his helmet and yelled out the window, “Does anyone know our lap times?” Team/vehicle owner Ken Namimatsu quickly responded “1:41.8”. Tyler analyzed the track data from his run while icing his injured shoulder as the team continued to work on the vehicle in preparation for the third and final session of the day.

“Oh great, here we go again, another Honda . . . another Civic hatchback in a magazine, like we haven’t seen this before.” Were you thinking that? Believe me, if you feel like that try to imagine how we feel! It feels like we have seen ’em all. Hondas are everywhere—from streets to Internet forums to magazines—we know. And when it comes to Civics especially, they have to be the number-one most-modified import chassis, and have been that way for years. Unfortunately, most owners think along the same lines and live within the same proverbial box. To put it simply: They are trendy. One guy does something and everyone else essentially follows. Creativity, innovation, and personalization tend to lack in their builds, consequently there are a massive amount of cookie-cutter cars out there. It all looks the same. Now this doesn’t just apply to Hondas, and you guys know it. But we can definitely understand how turning a page and seeing another white Civic hatch can add to the monotony of it all. Upon first glance the car may look quite simple and ordinary, we know. But this build is more than just ordinary—it’s extraordinary.

I think it is safe to say that most of us enjoy a good cover song, Vegas act, or maybe even some wannabe superheroes brawling on the street corner. It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, although, I’m not quite sure if Bruce Wayne would be very proud of Phoenix Jones and the like. In this instance, we have here not an overweight burnt-out “Elvis” found on the street corner, but the Cirque du Soleil of the strip. Meet Albert Sanchez and his rendition of the stunning Varis Mitsubishi EVO X. One of many cars Albert has built, this one takes the cake, displaying what most other CZ4A owners (’08-present Mitsubishi EVO chassis production) recognize as the most gracious, yet deadly Rally Red EVO to hit the SoCal streets and tracks. You see, Albert stumbled upon the great beauty in another Japanese publication and before any other Stateside tuner could blink, he had pulled the trigger on the Varis full-suite exterior treatment.

Call it a cultural exchange. That’s one way to explain what Akira Miyata of Craft A has done with the Hondas he has built over the years. Out of his little workshop in Tokyo he has helped cultivate a new tuning movement that combines a lot of what is often referred to as American style, fusing it together with a more authentic JDM approach. His cars have been getting noticed more and more; in particular, the candy-green EJ1 Civic coupe you see here. Akira’s creations are as much about style as they are about performance, all tied in with the kind of presentation that one would expect from the best show cars. Attention to the smallest of details has helped create a very special car, and to find out more about it we met up with Akira at the most Japanese of locations, a Shinto temple.

At the Geneva Motor Show Infiniti unveiled the Emerg-E Concept, a mid-engine plug-in hybrid rumored to put down 400HP. Still shaking your head at the hybrid idea? Well word on the street is that it'll go 0-60 in four seconds. To put things in perspective a R35 GT-R without launch control will do that in around 3.8 seconds.

You can make a very strong case that the 240SX chassis has become the “new” Civic in the broad spectrum of the import automotive community. More and more modified S13/S14 builds pop up every year, and it doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. You can thank drifting for shining the bright spotlight on the 240SX. Both chassis are cheap and readily available and when enthusiasts got into drifting, the Nissan S13/S14 was definitely the preferred chassis to start with. Even if drifting had never become a hit Stateside, these cars would still have eventually become very popular, due in part largely because of the strong aftermarket support from Japan. Though the S-chassis was easy to find, they weren’t always in the best condition. If you could find a clean shell, then you had a gem on your hands. If not, it didn’t really matter too much because the guys who were building them were making entry-level drift cars. The probability of beating up the body further was a very likely scenario. At some point during the height of the 240SX’s popularity, it was almost a standard to have a beat-up one because owners were given a certain level of “street cred”. If it didn’t look banged up you weren’t cool. The ones who appreciated the longevity of their Nissans were almost shunned because it seemed as if they weren’t putting their cars to use. The “in” thing to do was to have an S13 or S14 that looked like it had run into a wall of some sort. It didn’t even matter if you were into drifting, the more hood your project looked, the better.

We were getting some serious sideways glances when we cruised Sydney’s streets scouting for suitable locations to shoot Alfonso “Fonzy” Octaviano’s ’75 Celica. I’m not sure whether it was the car or that the driver donned an equestrian-esque helmet, complete with Rising Sun insignia. Maybe it was a bit of both. All we know is that Fonzy’s enthusiasm for Japanese shakotan (low down) car culture is as big as his old-school Toyota is tough.

We met up with the Ryo Kaneko, owner of this Yellow Factory EG6, when visiting Nikko racetrack. We spent some time talking to him about his Lamborghini Yellow Civic and the transformation that has taken place since he bought it.

We all face our own battles, but do you ever wonder what it’s like to go up against something that is beyond human control? Time is a component that is challenged every day by all living objects and cannot be controlled, stopped, or harnessed. It is a fundamental structure of the universe, with each unit of measurement expressed in seconds, minutes, and hours. In motorsports, it can be said that technology challenges time, where man would build the fastest mechanical vehicle in terms of velocity or course lap time. The best paradigm that exemplifies this theory is the time-attack or Super Lap.

Although the term may come across as daunting upon first glance, its definition is a very simple one: self-education. To be an autodidact is to be a person who learns a subject without a teacher or a formal education. They believe that the best way to learn how to do something is to simply get in there, get their hands dirty, and just figure it out as they go. They learn by teaching themselves. Chris Shuemake of Fresno, CA, is exactly that kind of person, and the story of how this beautiful blue WRX came to be is a perfect example of that philosophy in action.