#ScionTc

With Toyota having recently undergone the worst period in its history, the grandson’s founder and man at the helm of the Japanese auto giant looks to be ready to make big changes in order to get the company back on track. More than just an executive, Akio Toyoda is a well-known car buff who loves to get out on the race track, so its no surprise that he wants to instill some passion into Toyota’s lineup of models.

Titan Motorsports has long been paving the way in the sport compact drag racing segment, setting records in their Street Tire Supra in the early 2000s, before moving onto the NHRA Sport Compact Pro RWD class with their Toyota Celicas. They then powered their way to 6-second passes on the quarter-mile before Scion jumped on board on contributed to two new chassis. Once the NHRA Sport Compact Drag Racing Series merged with NOPI, and NOPI disappeared, Titan Motorsports looked for a new challenge to please its sponsors and continue drag racing while setting records and raising eyebrows.

In what was an interesting move on their part, Titan Motorsports decided to campaign their Scion tC drag car at the ADRL series which is mostly dominated by American muscle. In fact, they are probably the only import-powered vehicle there at most events. With a Toyota 2JZ Supra Turbo engine with only 186 cubic inches, most ADRL competitors were skeptical that Titan could even come close to competing with the 800+ cubic inch motors that were all forced induced. Needless to say they attracted a lot of attention once they became very competitive in the 10.5-inch tire field.

But a new goal was on the horizon for 2010. After making numerous low 4-second passes in the 1/8th-mile, Titan Motorsports knew they had it in their car to go into the mystical 3-second mark. A 3.999 or faster pass would not only make Titan’s car the fastest sport compact/import in the world but they would also become part of an exclusive Mickey Thompson 3 Second Club. Entering this club rewards the team with a custom ring, custom leather jacket and $3000.00 bounty to the first five members.

At the ADRL Georgia Drags VI, Titan Motorsports finally achieved their goal with a record-setting 3.996 @ 182.45 mph. They have made their way into the coveted Mickey Thompson 3 Second Club as one of the first five cars into the 3’s and guaranteed themselves as the fastest import in the world for many years to come. Watch the record setting pass after the jump!

[Source: Titan Motorsports Blog]

GALLERY: Titan Motorsports 3-second Scion tC

Consumer watchdog, Consumer Reports has released its list of 2010 cars, which includes the Hyundai Accent and the Chevrolet Aveo, that do not come with the electronic stability control (ESC) safety feature.

Despite a dearth of sporty cars in its lineup, Toyota has always managed to have at least one convertible, from boulevard cruisers like the short-lived Celica convertible and the recently departed Camry Solara convertible, to more serious sports cars like the MR2 and Supra. With the Camry Solara gone, Toyota is looking for another open top vehicle, and Scion‘s popular tC is likely to be next in line.

We’re not even sure why we’re writing any copy. The video and the headline say it all. Below you’ll find some incredibly entertaining video of the amazingly talented rally and drift racer Tanner Foust piloting his Rockstar Energy Drink Scion tC drift car along California’s famous Mulholland Drive.

For those who don’t know, Foust’s tC makes 600 horsepower courtesy of a Toyota NASCAR V8, giving it plenty of torque to light up those rear tires.

Foust and the Rockstar Scion tC kick off their drifting season in Long Beach, CA, April 9-10.

See after the jump for the tire-shredding video:

Toyota’s hybrid technology is too expensive to be used in Scion models says brand VP Jack Hollis. In an interview with Ward’s Auto, Hollis explained that a hybrid Scion model would essentially be out of the price range of the brand’s target demographic. Scion works to keep all its cars at, or starting at, under the $20,000 mark.

Along with three xB Tuner Challenge Cars, Scion will be bringing a trio of additional custom creations to the 2009 SEMA Show. The three cars include a tC, xB and xD, created by Cartel Customs, Five Axis Design and 0-60 Magazine.

Unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, the 2009 Scion tC Release Series 5.0 is all “murdered-out” thanks to some sleek black paint and matte-black 18-inch wheels. Those rims do, however, have a little color and feature a red trim around the outside.

This special edition tC (of which only 2,000 will be built) has a TRD (Toyota Racing Development) theme and comes with a long list of TRD performance parts. Red TRD lowering springs help give the tC RS 5.0 a more aggressive stance, and when combined with a red TRD rear sway bar give the sport compact better cornering abilities.

A TRD sport muffler gives the car a sound all its own.

Other exterior highlights include an optional rear lip spoiler (a $285 option) and TRD badging.

Inside, the tC RS 5.0 gets black seats with red accents, a black leather steering wheel with red stitching and TRD floor mats. The car will also feature an individually numbered badge.

The tC RS 5.0 will go on sale in March for 19,300 for the manual transmission and $20,100 fr the automatic – $2,300 over the standard tC.

Official release after the jump: