Mike's FR-S proves that carbon fiber is still cool when it's done right.
Mikes car: 2013 Scion FR-S
Instagram account: @Assbox7
Engine and Drive-train: Tomei UEL headers, Tomei Overpipe, Invdia catless frontpipe, TRD cat-back exhaust, Light weight crank pulley, OFT tuned, powered with E-85, Raceseng Cam plate, high flow TRD drop in air filter
Wheels/Tires/Suspension: Lowered with ISC coil overs, ISC shortened end links, Voodoo USA's lower control arms, Cusco front and rear tower braces, Whiteline rear bushings, and Whiteline rear swaybar. 17x9 +45 Enkei RPF1's wrapped in Dunlop Direzza dz102’s 245/40/17. 3mm spacer on the rear.
Exterior: Seibon Carbon Hood "FA-Style", Seibon OEM Carbon fenders, Seibon Carbon rear window spoiler, Rexspeed carbon fender garnishes, Carbon rain guards from TogueFactory, Rocket Bunny V1 rear diffuser, helix smoked side markers, 20% Tint all around, Rexspeed polarized side mirrors, Valenti clear Taillights, Winjet headlights, sharkfin antenna.
Interior: Pioneer AVIC-5000NEX GPS headunit, piano black weighted shift knob, and black interior trim pieces.
Tell us a little about yourself: I am a system administrator (IT) for a flexible packaging manufacture. I deploy and maintain servers, improve their network infrastructure, and upgrading their ERP system. Other than the car stuff, I really enjoy tinkering with computers and love learning new and old technologies. I really enjoy watching the Blackhawks and drinking a brew or two, with friends. I really enjoy cooking. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine. I am also an avid snowboard enthusiast, and adventurer, and a huge video game nerd. #PCmasterrace. Favorite games to play at the moment is StarCraft, Overwatch, Counter Strike and Rocket League.
How did you get into cars? My dad had a great influence on me with cars. When I was young he would bring me to NASCAR and Indy races whenever he could. Any time a race was on TV he would blast the surround sound to hear the motors scream. Of course he brought me to the first "Fast and the Furious" movie when it first came out and I was completely hooked back then. Come present day, my dad is still the first person I go for questions, or for an extra hand while working on my car. Without him my car addiction would not have happen. Thanks dad!
What are your future plans for the car, and what do you like to do with it? I struggle with deciding where I should go with this build. Turbo vs NA. Right now I daily my car, and because of that, I have not gone to as many track events as I would have liked to this point. My short term goal is to get a dedicated daily driver so I can more realistically finish the FRS. I think later down the road, a turbo setup will be further looked into.
What's your favorite thing about your car? I love how fast the car can go through the apex of a turn and still has the feeling of wanting to go faster. Admittedly, I love how much attention it gets while cruising down the road.
What is your car like to drive? As most FRS/BRZ owners would state, it’s like driving a go-kart. Even for a stock FRS/BRZ, this is correct. Lowering the car, adding some much needed braces and adding thicker tires allows me to shoot through the apex faster than most cars out there. They are fairly simple mods that made a huge difference overall.
What was your inspiration or objective with this build? The idea for this build came from a RX7 I saw a long time ago. It was also white and had a carbon front end with all the works. It was a street car, but looked like it belonged on the track. Sleek, fast, and meaty. The RX7 looked wicked, and it was the first thing that came to my mind when I started to build my car.
Why did you choose an FR-S? I kind of fell into this car. I have always have been in love with 2004/2005 Subaru STI. I thought the 05’ STI was going to be my next car for sure. Unfortunately, the car I was driving at the time all of a sudden had transmission issues and I had limited funds at the time. When I entered the car market, 2004/2005 STI's were nowhere to be found. One night out, I ran into a buddy of mine named Luke. I saw he purchased a black FRS and immediately feel in love with the exterior. One short drive around the parking lot and I sold. I loved how nimble and easy the car was to drive. That night I started looking into how I can afford a brand new car. The next day I made my way down to the Toyota dealership and make easy work for the sales guy.
Why did you choose the FR-S instead of a BRZ? When I first did the price comparison, I saw that it was more expensive for the same car (other than some cosmetic and slight suspension differences). I really wasn't down to spend the extra 3k on the Subaru badges (sorry guys, dont hate me!). That said, I still really enjoy the look of the BRZ, and being an FRS owner in the Midwest, I wish I would have had the option for heated seats. But what really came down to my decision was the fact that I needed a loan to get a new car quickly, and Toyota Financial was able to give me a good deal, so I went with them. I've had my car for 3 years now, and love seeing all the different FRS and BRZ's are out there. Some builds convince me the BRZ looks better, and some builds convince me the FRS looks better. I think it's all on personal taste and how the car was built. But so I'm told #BRZmasterrace.
What was your first car? The super powerful 1997 Plymouth Breeze. 2.4L DOHC DSM motor. Of course the 16 year old me, tried to make that piece look good. Its’ life was pretty short as the DSM motor it came with had issues. (like most)
What is your dream car? My practical dream car is a 1997 Toyota Supra with the 2JZ-GTE twin turbo motor. I have always been in love with this car since it was released. The Supra is just a raw machine. The sound, the look, the function, everything about it makes me excited. Even more so is its aftermarket buildability. You can see countless supra videos on YouTube just making easy work of your more typical higher end performance cars. I hope to be able to one day get my hands on a 97' Supra, rebuild it, and make it my own. What I call my irrational dream car would be a Koenigsegg One:1. I would for sure have to win the lotto on that one. But people can dream, right?
Any shout-outs to anyone who helped you along the way? Big shout-out to my dad. He always has had a do it yourself approach with his own projects. His mentality with his house, was my approach for my car. Do it yourself. It has saved me a lot of money and have gained incredible amounts of knowledge. He would always be the first one to help lend hand whenever I would get stuck on something. Thanks again dad!
