From the inside looking out, I think it’s safe to say that Kei Miura has become the de facto go to-guy for next level bodykits. Some seem to think that Miura-san’s monopoly in the bodykit game is overwhelming and almost too much, whereas others welcome his next move like it’s their next fix.
Here’s my take on it: I’ve hung out with Miura-san on several occasions in the US, in Japan and in Europe, and I have to say that his 100% genuine passion for cars is very inspiring. Everywhere he goes, he soaks up the local car culture like a sponge, giggling like a kid at the crazy car contraptions that are scattered around the world.
For a car enthusiast, Miura-san is the real deal.
In the same time frame as Miura-san’s rise out of the shadows, I’ve been working closely with Stephan Papadakis and his crew in the US, and last year was our best season yet. Both Steph and Miura-san share a very strong enthusiasm for what they do, and they’re both icons in the world of Speedhunters.
Now, I believe in team building and if there is one thing we can all learn from Lance Armstrong it has to be this: the recipe for success in racing is to motivate your sponsors and partners to all pull in the same direction.
After Stephan and co successfully turned the tC into a super nimble, lightning quick race car that takes no hostages, we decided that we wanted the car’s look to match its inner qualities. So wouldn’t it make sense to introduce Steph to Mr. 6666 Customs/TRA Kyoto himself?
It’s been a work in progress for a year and a half, but here it is: the Rocket Bunny Scion tC widebody kit, which will debut on the 2014 Papadakis Racing Hankook Tire Scion tC at Formula Drift Round 1 in Long Beach!
The kit brings with it all the goods: built to match the aggressive 2014 facelift Scion tC front and rear bumpers (along with the Toyota Mark X G Sports style headlights), front and rear widths to match the race car’s stance and extended sideskirts for visual lowness.
Miura-san also made his signature, high rise GT wing an option for us. We will start off with the duckbill-style tail spoiler but it will definitely be interesting to test out the pedestrian slicer at the faster tracks.
Luckily he sent along several extra sets of the rear side fins…
And at the Papadakis Racing shop in California, the angle grinder is in full swing as the tC and the brand new, prototype Rocket Bunny kit is about to become one. First, the parts will be fused together by a handful of Cleco pins, and then, it’ll get ready for next week’s Scion media day.
Stay tuned for further updates as we get closer to FD Round 1, as our tC receives the most major overhaul it’s seen so far. And by the way, this overhaul may or may not involve a significant livery change.
A major thanks to 6666 Customs/Kei Miura, Papadakis Racing, GReddy USA and Speedhunters for making this dream come true!
Fredric Aasbø
Instagram: fredricaasbo
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Hopefully you won't have that pretty kit monster-trucked by a certain Mustang...
Nice, diggin it so far.
pretty ugly kit
Sorry, I feel Miura-san has jumped the shark with this one. No doubt he is a passionate fellow but there's a reason car designs have different styling elements and cues even among models from the same brand. This has probably been said before but this is the first time I've actually felt that it's become true. And of course, Miura-san has soldiered on with his mission and more power to him. I just wish there was more depth to his touch which once seemed more special than I feel looking at this tC. And full respect to Papadakis and Aasbo's drift car as a machine, this is by no means a knock on its capability
But sadly the Rocket Bunny treatment now just looks like it copy and pastes the same look on every car Miura comes across. That look works better on some cars than others. But there seems to be no effort at really differentiating each new TRA-Kyoto/6666/Rocket Bunny kit.
I respect Miura's passion and I don't want to associate his work as almost becoming a one-trick pony. There are other ways to widebody a car with some other unique styling cues. I get Miura has a "signature look" but i think he needs to dig deeper to come up and define a "signature design" which is a very different thing.
I still think it's awesome that Miura-san has a CNC and CAD modeling rig to mill out a design for his kits quickly and efficiently. There is more potential to experiment with new looks so I just think he could capitalize on that capability. It can be efficient and easy to recycle as well
FunctionFirst no one is safe...
bummer the livery is changing. the new kit looks sweet, and now you and madmike both have rocketbunny exclusive cars!
Why can't we get a rocket bunny body kit for the 1993 - 2001 Subaru impreza gc8 2 door coupe like this Toyota ?????
Speedhunters, get Charles Ng's G37 in on the Rocket Bunny game! Would be awesome to see both the Speedhunters cars rocking Rocket Bunny kits.
choo-choo!!! here comes the hate train!
It has happened...it was a matter of time anyways.
fwd stock..... i will never understand why this is still around..
would perhaps be nice if he tried different styles of kit
Woah ! Another Rocket Bunny kitted Formula Drift car !
holllyyyyy... this is surprisingly cool!
Not knockin on Mr Miura, however his bodykit style is starting to be the next cookie cutter kit... Now tC kids get to say they drift and what not. I've been following the GT86 development and the bloom of TRA/6666 kits, so much of it has been done that the awestruck sensation has long but gone numb. Like someone has commented before me, Mr Miura needs to start digging deeper not for a signature look, but a unique styling in his kits that pertains to the car. Congrats Mr Miura on your success, however its getting old seeing the same design slapped on every car that comes your way.
SpicyWonton WHOO-WHOO!!! ALL ABOARD THE GLOOM TRAIN!!!!
@kstyle Because normals need cars as well.
One who truly pays attention to detail and quality of work can only know that this design is no "cookie cutter".
Oh stop it guys, it looks really, really good. That wing mounting position is the best thing since sliced bread, and those arches are incredibly aggressive. It's brilliant and very bold, just like his other kits!
as a vehicle stylist for one of the brands which is actually in tune with Car Culture, I'm sorry but I dont get the whole Miura-san kit work. Its a great example of people following fashion just because.... The surfacing and proportions are truly appalling and on the tC, this just makes the car look even taller and slab-sided ( tall body, narrow windows). The render doesn't help.
I will admit, the original RB kit for the 86 was much better and flows with the lines of the car.
Now, look at Liberty Walk, similar concept, obviously higher end, but the detailing is very impressive, smoother form, just or more aggressive and has the attention to detail missing from RB.
looking at the body color it seems the tC livery will match Charles Ng's G37. Gray and fluorescent orange SH Maximum Attack.
@DB1985 It's all the same IMO, they all look the same, same kit slapped onto another car.....nothing interesting at all. And yes, people like it because the internet tells them to.....me, I prefer to like stuff I actually like, rather than because it's fashionable.
stayshift Reality express more like it.
@DB1985 lol the Liberty Walk 458, R35 & M3 were all done by Miura-san
Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of the people that is saying Kei Muira needs to change his style. I like that he has a signature look. I think this looks cool, but the rocket bunny thing is starting to get very played out now. I can see where it's going. Speedhunters presents Vaughn Gittin Jr's 2015 Rocket Bunny Mustang anyone?
azmedaj well aware of that, that is exactly why I called it out. The RB kits are just not even close to the same standard
@DB1985 I guess Kato-san just has an eye for which cars this kit looks best on. That 458 was sexy. This Scion maybe not so much.
Love the insight of how Miura show the cars at the front of Galleria Ufizzi in Florence
I don't get it. The thing with the tC. Why take a FWD coupe and make it a drift car? It's not lighter. It's not cooler. It hasn't got powerful engines. Nissan should really consider making new S-chassis. And Toyota should really reconsider the MR2, a new Celica RWD and a new Supra.
This thing is beautiful. This will be a sell out
FWD ROCKET BUNNY Tc'S, EVERYWHERE
Freakin gorgeousss!!!!
Heres hoping the next TC is offered in FWD,AWD, and RWD!!! I think its possible
especially if it uses the FRS platform. Subaru used to offer FWD back in the day, right?
Marlowe Campos
At 1st glance looks like something new or a reincarnation of a group B rally monster-not a Scion TC
So hyped for this. I'm going to Formula D this year hope to see Aasbo slide around in this beast. The RB aggressive styling will match his sledge hammer style. So cool!!!
On a side note, wish scion would just give us the AWD version of the TC like they had in other countries.
greenroadster You should have a word with the WRC teams.
SuzyWallace - Why are we talking WRC here? Nobody said anything about 4x4 and rally. Are you?
SLEI WIPCHIK?
greenroadster SuzyWallace That's British humour at its best... All the current WRC cars are originally FWD converted to 4WD...
I have to say..... This whole rocket bunny thing is getting old. It's going to be the veilside kit of the 2000's. Mr miura, save your sole from the devil. !,,,,
RacingPast greenroadster SuzyWallace Wow. I was only pointing out, as Racing Past said that the WRC teams take boring FWD cars and make them into crazy AWD cars, which surely has similarities to what you're mentioning.
wheatgod It becomes more hipsterish, just like speedhunters is...
I'm confused, is this just a rendering? If so it will be good to see the finished article as to be completely honest I normally love the rocket bunney kits, but this I do not like, maybe it needs to grow on me for a bit?
SuzyWallace RacingPast greenroadster
Suzy i think you're all sides drive
greenroadster it's a scion marketing strategy, they sponsor aasbo and want to boost the sales of the tc
The kit looks rather interesting and it makes this sh1tbox look a bit more extravagant in terms of visual presence. Too bad pretty boy is going to be skinned alive by all those turbo V8s and 2JZs making more than 1000hp. I hope Dai or Ken will get the trophy this season.
FR-S platform?! I want whatever you're having...must be some good ish. And Subaru still makes FWD cars, last time I checked.
Sorry, it's a swing a a miss from Miura-San for me. Maybe its the pig ugly tC bodywork underneath it or maybe it's the lack of an awesome livery but for me it just doesn't look right... at all.
Also, I have to agree with some others in here, and after defending TRA kyoto in some of my previous posts, it's a shame I'm finding myself saying this. But it does look a little copy, paste, insert swage line here, put in correct fuel cap cutout there. And in this case it just doesn't work for me, in fact I'm so shocked at it, that it almost looks... well... Lazy. Which is a shame, as reading Freddies words and from what else I've read I know that is definitely not the measure of Mr.Miura.
Either way, I'll still be cheering you on this year! Best of luck in the new season
lol a tc. really?
Apparently Scion tC sold as Toyota Zelas overseas is available in AWD...and you do know FWDs are used in rally, right?
dovvv RWD, 800whp beast!
I would love to see one made for the 370Z... I think its worthy of it.
Like the saying goes "you can't polish a turd", a base car as ugly as this is always going to look crap no matter what you do to it. And as yourself and others have stated, you getting a kit which has been made for a certain style of car, and then copying and pasting it on a car with completely differing, lines/features/curves... Non of which have been addressed in making this new kit. It's like getting a dress from Megan fox and putting it on some fat shit, of course it's not going to look flattering without addressing the lines and proportions of the new person. Also I hate how commercial and fake drifting is getting, it becoming the new monster trucking or wrestling, all gilts and glam, swag, hipster attention seeking stuff to draw a crowd. Drifting is loosing its roots and it's unique style and culture to please the general public, it's disgusting. Really do you need 800-1000hp and all these fancy gay kits to drift? I think the original jap dudes who started the scene would be horrified at how far it has gone down hill.
this thing looks so forced. dont love the lines at all. the fr-s was great. dont push your luck with this box.
Nico Leone Learn how to work with fiberglass and you can make your own. His formula is pretty much the same for all cars. Same ducktail, same fender shape and drop off points, same canard locations pretty much. He uses a low end 3d modeler that you could probably find online for a very low price or free in certain markets if you absolutely want to be like him... works with cheap styrofoam in some of the mockup portion of it. He does have a CNC cutter, but you can use a knife and your hands.
I just hate the look of the stock car, it's definitely an improvement but the back still looks weird.
Whatsup with "san"? This sounds retarded, retard-san!
Xenotime My god you are stupid
reminds me of the aussie v8 cars lol me gusta
when will the fd3s kit be released?
"...and if there is one thing we can all
learn from Lance Armstrong it has to be this: the recipe for success in
racing is to motivate your sponsors and partners to all pull in the same
direction."
Lance Armstrong did this by lying, cheating/doping, directly to the face of the world. Terrible reference @FedricAassbo
What in the actual fuck...
D_Shady At last, someone noticed it. Common logic suggests that this reference is a terribly poor choice. If Vaughn Gottabekiddin JR mentioned something similar, he would be annihilated by everyone in here. #poorchoices
@Seeking Perfection D_Shady Well, my point with saying that there is one thing we can learn from him was obviously not to condone any of the cheating or doping. What I'm saying is that he was a master at making his technical partners work together towards building the best equipment by designing parts that work together. Although I do realize Lance Armstrong is a touchy subject I still think we can learn a lot from him - and not only look at his poor ethics.
FredricAasbo First off, I respect your opinion and admire your drifting skills. Good luck this year in FD btw.
With that said, I still stand by the fact that referencing Lance Armstrong is a terrible reference. How did he get his sponsors and technical partners to work together so well? By blatantly lying to their face and us the public. By cheating. By covering it up.
Obviously all this is imho however, I expect a higher standard from professionals & by referencing cheaters like him I'm interpreting that you're short changing and taking lightly the lack of professionalism and ethics of the guy. I'm sure there are many other better references out there that could've been used. Thanks for your time and response.
D_Shady FredricAasbo Noted! Things that go wrong are sometimes more interesting than the success stories, but I think we can learn from them all - good or bad.
I'd love to see a B14/200sx kit made, I think it would be a huge success.
MartinBrandan exactly, just like his other kits, they're all the same
The rocket bunny bodykit created, without a question, quite an impact, but that impact is long gone. I've been following drifting for so long, and this isn't evolution or change: it's regression. Drifting is now a business, a hobby for rich boys who are tired of carrying around a surf board. To finish off, drifting is passion, danger, fear, excitment, a million emotions sideways, the perfect mix for a brilliant sport; and those who take advantage of it only to explore the commercial Side of it will someday regret it. Compare last year's car to this one and then decide which ONE's cooler, the sleeper or lhe showboater. The sleeping Giant or the idiot with half-finished, bolt-on panels. Just think a bit.
@ls3_rob Never hopefully.....lets not ruin more FD's
looks so wrong... can the tC die already. Hate seeing a fwd car represented at all in drifting. So much custom work & $$,$$$ wasted.
Do love watching fredric aasbo drift though
Spaghetti Agreed, you have to chop the guards to fit these properly, there's not enough quality FD's left for that sort of carry on.
SuzyWallace - I would rather have an answer regarding this particular red car witch is not at all a wrc car. I was just saying that I don't want to talk to WRC teams, don't care. Really wanna talk with Aasbo team. Same question. Why tC? Why FWD base? BTW, the topic with the sales boosting is quite lame. If Toyota wants to sell Land Cruisers, Aasbo should make a drift car out of it?
KNT - And if someone makes an airplane using a Scion tC base, do you think that Cessna pilots would be interested in this particular ugly car?
greenroadster SuzyWallace As a race fan, I'd say it's cool to be able to associate your own daily driver with a race car that's out on the track. That has always been an important part of making racing work - and some drift fans own, or will own, a tC.
Also, on a personal note, I like diversity and as much as I like the FR-S/86, the more different car models and builds I see on the track, the better. I feel the tC is a contribution to that.
And honestly, seeing what an eco-motor like the 2AR is capable of in turbocharged form, is mind blowing. You should try it!
Did anyone else think it was a Prius from the thumbnail?
toastehmonstah I'd love to see them do one. Just fo shows.
FredricAasbo Thanks Fredric, I take your word on that
But I'll stick with my 1JZ. I'll stop here because I don't wanna start another comments regarding also a weird choice - the engine. So, besides taking a ugly FWD car to make it a drift base, now you have to work with the 2AR instead of....whatever from Toyota... :))))
Here is a question for you - what do you think drifting scene would be in 10 years or so? What cars? What engines? Regulations?
Xenotime Your ignorance meter is off the charts!
ghey
greenroadster FredricAasbo The best part about the 2AR is the weight. It's extremely light!
In ten years, I think the tandem is going to be insane. Cars will have more grip and be faster. I hope grassroots drifting is thriving while the pro level is further advancing and continues to gain popularity, which will ultimately lead to more drivers and teams being able to make careers in drifting!
@Lou agreed, but that body kit is straight beautiful.
Brett Allen Spaghetti Lol where do you live? FD are cheap
Gary89
but you can polish a turd... mythbusted.
greenroadster SuzyWallace
It's really not that hard to understand. Toyota said, hey Aasbo, here's a shit ton of money and a free Scion Tc; want to be sponsored by us. Why would you say no? lol
This looks awesome. Miura-san did it again!
Tc is a wack car to mod still a pos
Lot of negative talker on here. Rocket bunny sponser this sight, look in the bottom. Of course they will plug his cars some time. They cant make all this great coverage for 0 cost. Needs to be some sponser ads to like this TC article. If u dont like it, just hit BACK. Sorry I'm Not English. Enjoy life
@Lou I feel you, bro. I think they should run the same powertrain on a ZN6, since he's already used to it on top of being very successful on both FD Asia and Europe drift events. The only downfall being that a lot of the FD 2014 grid is going to consist of mostly ZN6s, which doesn't really bother me, since it's an awesome chassis.
@turbo BEAMS ae86 It's not the price of the car, it's the fact they're not making em any more and therefore we don't want to see them chopped up and ruined because of a silly fad that'll be derided by the vast majority in a few years (just as neons and silly bodykits on Civics is now)
How short sighted that an "enthusiast" would like to see these timeless cars cut to pieces to fit plastic bulges.
Bodykits and neon lighting on a Civic? Do you time-travel much, sir? That trend has died like 10 years ago (or earlier, depending on the locale).
apex_DNA You obviously missed the point of that comment. It's that fads pass. Something that was massively popular (Fast and Furious Style) went the way of the dinosaurs (for good reason) Now if everyone jumps on this plastic flares on everything fad then there's going to be a lot of cars that'll be ruined (screw holes and cuts to the guards) and that'll make them hard to put back to standard.
Brett Allen apex_DNASame goes for everybody's favorite - the stance fad. It's just as bad, if not worse.
apex_DNA I totally agree with you on that. Making a car handle like badly on purpose? Why bother? I know I know, each to their own and all that but these bad/polarizing trends seem to gain popularity that defies logic.
Brett Allen apex_DNANot just that...rolling fenders, raping your undercarriage, stuff "that'll make them hard to put back to standard".
Variety is the spice of life, and I like mine thaihot. This kit looks like it comes out stingy hot from the south end on the following day, yummies. Should my curiosity not be tickled, i dare not delve deeper.
why is everyone hating on the tc lol it's just a car and it looks fine
370 is wide already. if you try to put this at a Z, it'll look stupid.
iris_sistible This is the same guy that designs the Rauh welt Porsches!! << These are much wider than the Z already!!!
I love my TC even more now that I know its so hated.
Enjoy looking like everyone else haters.
Where can I get this body kit? I'm willing to drop a few grand on it.