This Pixar-Inspired, Wide Body FR-S Brings the Panda-monium
In Cars 3, Lightning McQueen is faced with the threat of a technology-laden rookie class of racers replacing the veterans of the Piston Cup series. The main threat lies with Jackson Storm, a carbon fiber-bodied racing machine with a huge GT wing and signature purple "S" down the sides of his body panels.
Ahead of SPOCOM Anaheim, Phil Chien took the opportunity and proximity to Disneyland to send his already black-and-carbon fiber FR-S into the Cars universe for the kids that would be in attendance. The guys at AutoTuned designed and installed a custom set of Storm "S" decals that were worked into shape for the FR-S body lines and paired them with a real-world sponsor roll call mirroring Storm’s styling. A neat easter egg lies in the huge 6.0 that takes the place of Storm’s 2.0 on Phil’s car; this is the sixth full iteration of Phil’s FR-S build, each a completely new look and feel from the last.
Drenched in Carbon Fiber
That being said, the Pixar-inspired design queues haven’t detracted from the praise and award-winning potential of Phil’s FR-S in the slightest. Underneath the decals lies a veritable ocean of carbon fiber; only what’s left of the quarter panels and the doors have remained factory metal.
Filling out those carbon fiber overfenders are meaty Nitto Tire NT05s wrapped around Rays Gram Lights Transcends, all of which are backed by R1 Concepts Big Brake Kits front and rear.
Purple Parts and a Panda Picture
Under the hood, a laundry list of aftermarket parts help put those Nitto Tires to use, not the least of which is the Jackson Racing supercharger setup surrounded by the signature Jackson Storm purple on the intercooler piping and multiple other bits.
Around the rear is another unique touch. While the trend has been to paste quotes and sayings across the underside of large road-going GT wings, Phil instead chose a mural of Chen Stormstout of World of Warcraft. The result is a somewhat hidden gem that is only fully appreciated when the trunk is open.
Inside the trunk is a colorful 7D Customs one-off carbon fiber showcase — made to show off the electronics, lines and tanks for Phil’s air suspension setup. The windows are lined with lighting that cycle through every color while helping to highlight everything underneath the housing.
Looking closely on either side of the D7 logo in the trunk reveals the cones of two 12-inch Pioneer subwoofers taking the place of the rear seatbacks. The housing for the subs? Even more carbon fiber, of course.
The main cabin of the FR-S has had the majority of parts replaced or customized, from the 3-pod gauge cluster in the passenger dash and Personal steering wheel, to the plush BRIDE Euro II+C Cruz Cusco collab seats for both driver and passenger. The purple and carbon fiber make a return alongside the suede, giving the setup a very cohesive feel both inside and out.
With a build this complete (over 110 different parts both custom and off-the-shelf), it’s easy to get carried away. Luckily, Phil and the team at AutoTuned have maintained their iterative vision of this Jackson Racing-powered Jackson Storm to stay the course throughout the fads and flavors of the week. After taking home trophies at 86Fest, SPOCOM and StanceNation & Showoff Nisei Edition, we’ll be on the lookout for an even more impressive version 7.0.
TUNING MENU
2013 Scion FRS
| OWNER | Phil Chien |
|---|---|
| HOMETOWN | Chino, CA |
| ENGINE | Jackson Racing Rotrex C38 supercharger, front mount intercooler, high boost pulley, aluminum neck filler and radiator cap; Rotrex oil filter; Delicious Tuning E85 flex fuel kit; Deatschwerks 900cc fuel injectors, DW300c fuel pump; Raceseng REVO S2 lightweight alternator pulley, idler pulley; Odyssey battery and battery hold down kit; Grimmspeed brake master cylinder brace; Nameless engine manifold cover; NRG purple FW-100 fender washer kit, FW-800 fender washer kit; Nutec powder coated charge pipes; IndyPaints high temp painted fuse cover, strut bar, fluid covers; HKS equal length header; Berk high-flow cat midpipe; Invidia downpipe, N1 catback exhaust; Exedy stage 3 hyper single clutch, chromoly flywheel; MTEC shift springs; Whiteline front gearbox shift kit bushing |
| SUSPENSION | D2 Racing 36-way adjustable air struts, racing pressure sensors; Vera Elite digital controller, solenoid valve blocks, 175 PSI pressure switch; SMC water trap; Viair 2 gallon air tank (x2); Air Zenith OB2 air compressors (x2); Godspeed front and rear sway bars; Beatrush strut bar, power brace bars; Whiteline rear control arm upper inner bushings, sway bar mount bushings, rear differential bushing, front sway bar link assembly, rear toe arm assembly; SPL rear lower control arm; R1 Concepts 356mm 6 piston front big brake kit, 356mm 4 piston rear big brake kit; MTEC brake lines |
| WHEEL/TIRE | Gram Lights 57 Transcend 18"x9.5" +15, 18"x10.5" +20; Rays 57 carbon fiber center caps; Nitto NT05 265/35r18, 285/35r18 |
| EXTERIOR | APR carbon fiber Formula GT3 mirrors; VIS AMS carbon fiber hood; Seibon carbon fiber fender garnish; carbon fiber roof, duckbill trunk, front bumper, over fenders, bumper caps, side skirts, rear diffuser, front splitter, GT swan neck wing; Winjet LED fog lights, black housing conversion; Black Beat Motor front bumper triangle LED turn signal housings, Alumina xenon H116000K conversion; ElStigGarage NeoPrism LED show lighting; Diode Dynamic custom engine bay show lighting, grill show lighting, pully show lighting; TOMS clear lens USDM tail lights; |
| INTERIOR | Agency Power harness bar; BRIDE Euro II+C Cruz Cusco Collaboration seats; Cusco racing harness; Works Bell short hub; Personal 350mm steering wheel; Genome Tuning drift button; Whistler PRO-3600 radar detector, D17VR dashcam; Beatrush bronze R-Lock, Diode Dynamic custom footwell LED lighting; Swedeit custom door panels, shift boot, E-Brake boot; custom suede door panel, door inset; custom vinyl dash trim, shift boot trim, door handle trim; BBM carbon fiber console trim, middle tray trim, door trim; Pioneer AVH-X4800BT, TS-W3003d4 Champion Series Pro 12" subwoofer (x2); CT Sounds pro audio tweeter (x2), 6.5" speakers (x2), tropo 4" (x2), CT3000 amplifier, CT125.4 amplifier; custom air suspension harlines; 7D custom trunk setup and lighting; ATi triple 60mm gauge holder pod, vent gauge pod; STRI 60mm boost gauge, oil temperature gauge, water temperature gauge, volt meter gauge; Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 running Torque Pro 2.0; GT86Mounts tablet mount |
| THANKS | There are way too many people to thank for the entirety of my build. Over the past four years, this build has seen six versions and have been involved in so many projects. It's been a labor of love with much sweat and tears mixed in. First and foremost I would like to thank Young Tea and the crew over at AutoTuned. Young had been my primary mechanic and crew chief for the last two and a half years. He is a master when it comes to the 86, and I owe a tremendous amount to him. I would also like to thank the other shop that has been a primary influence on my builds. William Chang and Concept 3 Performance has been a part of my early builds and continues to be a good friend. Also thank you to Mike Hyun of Advance Auto Solutions for helping to manage my project. As well as all the guys on my Team. Team Arkan. Love you guys. To all my sponsors, I couldn't do any of this without you. Oscar Jackson Sr., Oscar Jackson Jr., and Chris Aguirre of Jackson Racing has been one of my primary sponsors for over three years. They have been a huge amount of support to me. Martin Phuoc and R1 Concepts has supported me since before my SEMA build and continues to be family to me. Thank you to Steve at Rays / Mackin for your faith in me to help carry the brand, Michael at D2 Racing for the entire air suspension set up, Jin at Sweidit for the amazing interior work, Lohit at Fly1 Motorsports for always proving me with great carbon fiber, George at El Stig Garage for the one-of-a-kind show lighting, and 3M Graphics for always providing me with all my wrap needs. And finally, although they're not a sponsor, I want to thank 7D Customs for the hard work to make my amazing trunk setup. Also thank you, Driving Line, for the opportunity, and amazing photographers and writers Cory Mader and Justin Pagtalunan for making this happen! |
