A Box and a Vision

Jim’s 2003 Scion xB

Words: Jenna Vanderhoof & Justin Salvadalena
Photos: Ginash George

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2003 was the year that the first generation Scion xB made its debut in the States. Japan had the advantage of releasing the Toyota bB, the xB’s predecessor, in 2000.  The xB was released congruently with the xA and targeted at “Generation Y” in the United States.  Although Toyota expected the xA to sell better than the xB, the reverse proved to be true, with the xB outselling its brother 2 to 1.

It can be argued that the the xB was a ground breaking design. The bold look has a certain “it” factor well received  by the eccentric Japanese consumer.  All of us have seen the 1st generation xB on the road and may have laughed about its boxy looks. However, the target marketing worked as the public eventually embraced the “box.” The xB was a tuner-friendly car in Japan, and Toyota used this as a means to attract a consumer who was interested in personalizing their vehicle. Jim felt the same way when he first saw the bB in an Option Magazine leaflet. Soon after he saw Topline’s bB with it’s slightly extended bumpers layed out on deep dish rims, his attitude changed drastically.

When Jim attended his first Hot Import Nights in San Diego, CA in 2000, he was hooked and had to find a way to become a part of the tuning scene. Jim was stationed for two years in Yokosuka, Japan while serving time in the Navy. This was the nail in the coffin for his newly discovered interest in the tuner scene. Jim was wondering why guys were so attracted to the the wagon and van style vehicles. In 2003, Jim and his wife attended the Tokyo Auto Gallery and noticed a majority of their time was spent in the Wagon/VIP car section. He now understood what the draw was to them. Shockingly enough, the same vehicle can be designed and built to have VIP styling or look like a simple Volkswagen Bus. The diversity and creativity displayed at the Tokyo Auto Gallery was absolutely incredible.

Once the Scion xB made it’s debut in the U.S., Jim thought “hmmmm Toyota wants to sell the bB stateside?” This was the exact point when he knew he had to have that xB. Soon after, Jim purchased his Scion xB with a mere 5 miles on the odometer. It was his priority to make it like the Topline car. Within 3 short years of having the xB (or bB as it’s known in Japan), he had his Work Euroline DH wheels with 17×8/17×9 staggered offsets set inside Falken ST115 tires, followed by a 9pc W-Blood H.E.S. VIP kit including foglights to match (Just a side note: H.E.S. means Heavy Effect Selection—doesn’t get anymore JDM/VIP than that!). And the rest is history. An Airlift air suspension came shortly after to ensure that he could achieve the stance he was looking for. This unique styling gained him an invitation to the exclusive Scion United ad campaign and festivities near Las Vegas, NV on May 15th, 2008. At the event he met hundreds of Scion owners and even got to have a picture of the elusive JDM Jim ride on a poster!

Future plans for the xB include: freshening up the car overall, touching up the paint on the front bumper, fenders, hood and grille. At some point in time, leather seats will happen, but the state of the economy has squashed some of those plans for me. Jim plans to continue work on the car once he completes school. But to be completely honest, Jim is not disappointed at the stage of his car right now. The xB is built for him and by him, he did 95% of the work on it and he is quite proud of that. In the end, his car is built to resemble a theme and it holds its’ tradition.

Below is a list of modifications:

9pc W-Blood H.E.S. VIP kit including foglights
Work Euroline DH wheels 17×8/17×9 staggered offsets inside Falken ST115 tires.
Airlift air suspension
-5 gallon chrome airtank with two Blitzluft compressors & a 6 valve system
Progress rear swaybar
Cusco Type 40D front strut bar
Cusco camber plates
KGWorks rear wiper plug
Chrome inner door handles
Chrome lock plungers
Chrome speedometer trim ring
Garson Oak speedometer trim (until he gets the rest of the parts for my car cut and bought)
Painted trim panels in Buckskin (to bring out that Luxury feel)
Scion LED lighting in cupholder
CustomxBgauges.com orange LED shifter bezel
Kenwood CD player and Amp
Polk Audio bi-amped SR6500 comps and Momo sub and custom sub box in rear floor area.
Seiko Sangyo (more trinkets) door lock caps
Giant flower shift knob and chrome extender
Chrome door handles
Tail lights wrapped in red vinyl

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