NO ROCKET ROUND HERE
WELD TECHNIQUES’ HANDCRAFTED SCION FR-S IN ALL ITS CANDY-DRIPPING GLORY
It’s never easy to stand out when modifying a popular chassis like the ZN6, but Japan- based Weld has done just that with its handcrafted FR- S build
When Toyota, Subaru and Scion launched the 86, BRZ and FR-S in 2012 it basically lit a fire under the aftermarket industry’s arse — which responded in a very positive way with an endless stream of parts being developed and released, and demo cars rolling through shop doors the world over.
But since then many of those shop builds have seen an almost repetitive formula, especially when it comes to aesthetics. That was until Japanese tuning house Weld Techniques released its candy-coated widebody Scion FR-S. The first alarm bell to ring when we checked out the build sounded when we realized Weld had gone to the trouble of importing a left-hand-drive USDM Scion. But when you’re trying to top the build of your 2008 Tokyo Auto Salon–winning JZX100 D1GP car, you need to pull out all the stops. “We bought the car directly from USA Scion in Chicago, early 2013. It was brand new and fully stock. We started to strip the car right after it arrived,” Weld owner Atsushi Ito explained.
There would be no Rocket Bunny kit bolted on this body, and over the next six months under Ito’s guidance the team from Nishino Body Repair handcrafted a set of steel fenders, first using wire to create the shape, then massaging panel steel over the top. The custom work continued on the front bumper, with extra swage lines added to complement the Voltex carbon undertray, which can also be found on the rear.
The side profile tells the true story of the extent of the custom bodywork. The bodylines on the custom rear guards mirror the factory body line up top, and introduce a new lower line that swoops down at the front of the rear guard, and then carries along the steel side skirt to meet the front guard.
Six months after the work began, House of Kolor Candy Apple Red was applied over a silver base coat in multiple layers, as that finish best showcases all the shapes of the bodywork.
But this car is far from a one-trick pony, and the engine bay is fighting the body for attention, and doing a damn good job of it. This is an area often overlooked by Japanese builders, who seem to follow the philosophy of treating the engine bay like the workroom, and ignoring the detail as long as it makes the numbers. But not Ito-San, who decided to keep within the original designer’s plans and forgo adding boost, instead opting for a set of individual throttle bodies mounted on a custom crossram manifold. “Of course, the metal fenders are the appeal point.
But this car is far from a one-trick pony, and the engine bay is fighting the body for attention, and doing a damn good job of it
It took a lot of time to shape the new lines of the car. It’s like building a new body. But I also really like how the engine looks now. The independent throttles are gorgeous, and the sound is truly unique,” Ito-san said.
The throttles are 4AGE items, polished to perfection, with billet short-stack trumpets, JZX100 380cc injectors and a custom cross manifold. Currently the perfectly polished block remains stock, but thanks to a set of Trust headers, a custom exhaust and Amuse mufflers — all in titanium — the tuners at Trust were able to extract 164kW (220hp) from the Vi-PEC ECU. That’s not the end of it, though, and we were happy to hear the engine will soon be pulled and a 2.2 stroker kit will be added, along with custom high-compression pistons and a great dose of head porting to bump the power output well above what it now makes.
But a car like this is not about making brutal power, it’s more of a lesson in handcrafting something that stands out from the current FRPcoated clones. We suspect we have not seen the last of the project, which just goes to show that quality will always win over quantity.
But a car like this is not about making brutal power, it’s more of a lesson in handcrafting something that stands out from the current FRP-coated clones