One Tight Little Package
OpenRoad Scion Show Vehicle
Story and photos by Budd Stanley
We here in Canada have had very little exposure to the Scion brand. In short, Scion has been a very successful and ingenious form of platform engineering that sees Toyota products given funky new body designs and sold for an extremely competitive price.
When the sport compact aftermarket modification culture was flourishing back in the ‘90s, it was low-cost Civics, Golfs and Corollas that garnered a huge amount of attention, due to the low starting cost, and the availability of parts. Since then, the industry has evolved to the point that high-end European luxury vehicles are the cars of choice for today’s show car builders. Nearly the entire industry has turned its back on the budget tuner. However, Scion has smartly marketed its low-cost vehicles as “blank canvasses,” encouraging owners to personalize their vehicles, and supplying them with the tools to do so.
With Scion making the move across the 49th parallel, Richmond dealership, OpenRoad Scion, commissioned a show car to kick off the Canadian Scion revolution in fitting style.
The Scion culture is one of outlandish styling and fashion with a good amount of acoustic and visual stimulus mixed in for good measure. And so, OpenRoad teamed up with 360 Fabrication of Abbotsford, British Columbia, to build the first of what will certainly be a long line of personalized Scions. Code named O-Zilla, an xB was procured for the project and the team at 360 Fabrication quickly descended on it with cutters in hand.
It wasn’t long before the xB’s roof was sheered off and a mass of aftermarket parts began to flow into the shop. The focus of the car was definitely aimed at entertainment, as three 42-inch television screens would be clustered into a pneumatic lifting roof entertainment package. In support of the on-screen entertainment is a floor-mounted sub box with seven amplifiers, and six waterproof boat speakers for all-weather applications. If that’s not enough, a double Stanton turntable, mounted on a sliding rig, exits out the rear hatch for a DJ to work their magic. The 360 sound department ensures that the car is capable of having the cops called from two blocks away.
However, there is no missing the outward appearances of this extremely wide compact. Huge amounts of fibreglass have been used to extend the xB’s width by a foot with massive fender flares and rockers hiding 20-inch wheels wrapped in 275/25ZR20 Nittos, perfect for fitting a massive TRD big brake kit, something very necessary for all the added weight put into the back of the little Scion. In fact, TRD aftermarket parts can be found all over this car; from the sports exhaust, to struts, to custom dash panels, everything in the catalog has been utilized. Of course, the roof received a 3-inch chopping, Lambo scissor doors were added to the front, and a custom snake and alligator scale paint theme was custom-created by the 360 paint department using the latest in BASF paints.
The scaled surface theme continues on inside the xB. While the rear of the car is packed tight with all the onboard entertainment equipment when mobile, great attention has been given to the two seats still left in the car. Race-inspired buckets were re-upholstered with alligator-simulated leather with the O-Zilla logo embroidered in. Custom floor mats were added, while body-coloured panels accentuate the interior nicely.
The O-Zilla is an impressive build that sets the bar very high for those to follow, and captures the spirit of the Scion culture. O-Zilla will be in full tour mode, making appearances at several events throughout the year as well as being on display at OpenRoad Scion.
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