GReddy_Staff

Hello All,

On January 9th 2012 during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, it was revealed to the world that GReddy Performance Product has partnered with Scion Racing to introduce a competition built FR-S. The GReddy Racing FR-S will be campaigned in the 2012 Formula Drift Championship piloted by young veteran Ken Gushi. The all new platform has been a top secret project based out of our Irvine, CA headquarters and will be under going further development till it seeks its maiden voyage on the “Streets of Long Beach” April 6-7th.

Since the announcement, there has been many questions and interest in regards to the build so we’ve decided to dedicate this thread to document the whole project leading up to our first competition. I’ll also update you guys on the development throughout the 2012 Formula Drift season so you fans can keep track of our progress. Now that the secrets out, expect to see lots of behind the scene action so stay tuned!

-Brian


Part 1:

Over the years we have been very fortunate to have a good working relationship with Scion and the Scion Racing family. Initial talks started when Scion approached us about taking on a big project for 2012. We had a good idea what they had in mind so we sat down and listened. After months of negotiating, a deal had been agreed and in the summer of 2011 we took delivery of the vehicle.




Here you can see (L to R) our President Kenji, Crew Chief Shuji, and Spotter/Lead Mechanic Takeshi consolidating on the build. I’ll be assisting with this program throughout the year along with doing my best to keep you guys updated on this build. Starting from scratch, we knew it was going to be a long and challenging build with no time to waste.


First on the agenda was to reinforce the vehicle. For this procedure, our guys started to spot weld the entire chassis. Any other weak spots were diagnosed and reinforced accordingly. A week later, the car was ready for the next step: the roll cage.


While Takeshi was reinforcing the chassis, Shuji had been busy taking measurements for the cage. He’d been cutting, notching, bending and test fitting for the side hoop design to conform to 2012 Formula Drift spec. This was a very meticulous process as every notch and bend had to be precise. One wrong notch or bend will throw off the whole schematics of the design and will have to be re-done. The design of the cage would be based off the main hoop so it was important to ensure it was in the right spot.


After few weeks of designing the cage, it was finally time to permanently weld them via mounting plates.


In the end, it turned out to be a clean and simple cage with minimal tubing to help reduce the weight of the vehicle.




In a few weeks, I’ll share with you the next segment which will be in regards to subframe and suspension.

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy it!

LuckyPablo7

watching!! and wishing i had $$$ to do the same hehe

ESEMRFOZZ13

all pics welcomed =) any of the motor. i dont want to get you in a bad spot with scion, so anything you can. thanks

creamyxb2

iTrader: (1)

watching

GReddy_Staff

The current set up will be changed as we're working on final preparation for RD. 1 Long Beach so I'll be able to give more details and hopefully pictures of the engine bay as we approach April. All I can say for now is that it's a Cosworth CS600 series long block (EJ25) with a custom GReddy turbo set up. We'll be developing a FA20 on the side as well so we hope to have some parts for future FR-S owners soon.

It'll be a developmental year for us but like all competitors, we hope to be a threat. Can't wait to go up against the V8's and put this flat 4 on the podium!

my06tc

iTrader: (2)

maybe ill sell my house to do a project like this lol..jk.....cant wait to see the progress on this fr-s....are there any turbo kits for this yet,or are they in development

ESEMRFOZZ13

make sure to use the ultimate, so i have a new home for it after the tc.

GReddy_Staff

Make sure you "Like" GReddy Racing Facebook if you haven't already. This page will contain more motorsport related content compared to GReddy Performance Product Facebook which is more product related. Thanks for the support!

ESEMRFOZZ13

at the pic.

GReddy_Staff

Upon completion of the cage, we sent it out for paint. We decided to go with white since our past project car, the Time Attack 2011 Scion TC, is also white and is a good base color. Also at the time, this project was very confidential so final livery design with sponsors had not been determined. You can see what the car looked like when it returned from paint


The next step was to work on suspension and related components but Ken was gonna stop by to see the progress on his new ride so we figured to test fit for his seat position.


Throughout this whole process, we were busy researching for parts. You can image how difficult this may by especially working with a vehicle that hasn’t been released yet. At the same time, we’re already thinking about which spare parts we need as well. We looked into just about every vehicle from older Toyota’s to Subaru’s to see if parts would be compatible. In the end, we were finally able to get FR-S specific parts which was a big relief. After weeks of researching, we ordered the parts and they arrived. It was now time for assembly.

Here you can see the OEM rear sub-frame installed awaiting some suspension and wheels. We're also going to tube to front and rear so the trunk space you see now will eventually be gone. More on that later.


Wheel test fitment so we can determine which spec to run. Tire size is now limited by vehicle weight which should level out the competition and give teams that don’t have crazy horsepower a chance.


We reviewed the rule book carefully and determine what components need to remain OEM and what can be modified. Any modifications that was necessary were done according to rules.

Making good progress on the interior.


Ken makes another visit as he gives his feedback and requests. Talk about having a custom car!


At this point the car is about 75% done till it leaves for NAIAS in 6 weeks. We still need the entire drivetrain package and finalize vehicle settings. Still a lot to do with limited time. At least it finally looks like a car!


I'll keep updating with random pictures here and there as the car develops. Thanks for looking.

GReddy_Staff

Here's a little more on what's been going on the past couple weeks....fire suppression install, wire harness trimming and preparing to cage the rear

ESEMRFOZZ13

beautiful.

highvoltage1

iTrader: (11)

rhythmnsmoke

Car is already done, so waiting on the rest of the build catch-up

TeeCizzle

Vardy Nice!

GReddy_Staff

Technically speaking, not quite

I'll fill you guys in more with the original build later however the last few pictures were taken last week and is the current state. It's receiving slight adjustments and a rear tube which should almost be completed. I'll check later today or tomorrow and see if I can snap some pics.

GReddy_Staff

Rear cage is near complete! Only thing left to do is fabricate the container for fuel cell and battery. Ken also stopped by this afternoon to check the progress and give a little more feedback. Less than 58 days to go till Long Beach!

rhythmnsmoke

How much modification, if any, was done to the steering angle to get more angle?

GReddy_Staff

It's a lot of work that's still in the process and will probably be throughout the season. I can't get too much into details but lots of measuring and calculating for the new arms, knuckles, tie rods, etc.

Check out the rear end which is just about complete. Now time to work on the front.

Tune86

diff, gearbox, suspension details?
whats your ecu choice?
or we have to wait for details till FD in april?