Dadhawk's FR-S (6AT Firestorm)

[Dadhawk]

Just got back from seeing Dark Knight Rises (great movie, go see it!). In the pre-show ads was one of the ads for the FR-S. There were some "nice" and "what car is that?" from the crowd.

Very cool seeing "my car' on the big screen!

[Gaiakai]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Just got back from seeing Dark Knight Rises (great movie, go see it!). In the pre-show ads was one of the ads for the FR-S. There were some "nice" and "what car is that?" from the crowd.

Very cool seeing "my car' on the big screen!

Watching The Dark Knight tomorrow. Hope to have this moment as well

[eriktherod]

Anytime I'm visiting my parents, my dad is always like, "Come look, it's your car!" when the commercial comes on. I too have the Firestorm, so it's a perfect match. I still need to frame the full-page introductory ad I have from a Canadian newspaper.

[Mburolla]

I can't believe the attention I get when I simply drive this car to work.

[Dadhawk]

(Updated fuel economy in OP. Lifetime 3557.1 miles 31.58MPG)

It had been a couple of weeks really since I'd had much more than the side glance or a "nice car" type of reaction. I guess when it rains it pours...

In one commute I had two good reactions:

A guy in a tricked out Buick was hanging out the driver's side window at a stop light looking the car over from one end to the other with that "I can't believe that car" look on his face. I noticed him out of the corner of my eye and gave him a "private" moment to absorb before looking over. Got the big thumbs up. Then my light changed (I'm in the turning lane) and start off. He's still looking out the window, when he sees me move, he starts to move and comes within what had to have been millimeters from clipping the car in front of him. He was NOT in the turn lane.

The best reaction was later though.

I stopped for gas and ran in the store. When I came back out and approached the car the guy at the pump behind me asks the "what car is that!" question like he had just spotted his favorite supermodel. The conversation goes like this:

"Hey you mind if I ask you what kinda car that is? Everybody out here was just trying to figure it out."

"It's a Scion FR-S."

"A SCION! No way"

"Yea, its a joint venture car...." (you know the rest of this)

"Didn't know Scion was Toyota"

"Yep"

He starts circling the car

"I see you got it tricked out man, nice wheels, the right paint, big brakes, race seats, you're gonna have a great summer with this thing!"

"Thanks, but its all stock except for the automatic"

"No!"

"Yep!"

"Man, I didn't even know Scion sold a car like this. That must have set you back 50K"

"No. The MSRP with destination on the manual is $25K."

Stunned silence....

"Really?"
"Yep"

He points at his new Escalade with dealer tags on it.

"You mean I coulda had two of those, for what I just paid for that, and had change left!"

"I guess so, and since I'm getting 30MPG you could have probably driven them both at the same time for less money"

"Man, you are one lucky dude!"

"Thanks"

"Really, a Scion, I'm gonna have to check this out" as he pulls out his phone to verify the price on the Scion site standing right there as I start the car and drive off.

Priceless.

[Dadhawk]

The above experience with Mr. Escalade reminds me of something I've been meaning to share.

I've said before that there are car guys and there are drivers, and I tend to be more of a driver than a nuts and bolts car guy. I think those two type cover pretty much everyone on here and most of us are a mix of the two.

There's another type of "guy" though. I call him the "Car Dude". The guy above is a Car Dude. He loves cars. He doesn't know much about them, but he loves them. He loves the way the look, he loves the freedom they give him, he loves the attention a sweet ride offers to him.

I'm not talking about over-the-top hellaflush type attention or looks, or even race car modded looks, I'm talking straight off the dealer floor new car smell I've spent my money now I'm gonna enjoy it kinda guys. They'll never do anything to it that makes it different from stock, and they can't tell you whats under the hood, but they just plain love their car. They wash it, wax it, clean it, you could eat off the carpet in the trunk.

That was Mr. Escalade. He saw my car, and he knew he loved it. Nothing else mattered to him.

I think I have a little (OK, maybe a lot) of that in me. After all I bought my original MK1 MR2 based 90% on looks alone before it was ever off the truck never having even heard of one. It was love at first sight.

Same thing with the FR-S. I was in "heavy like" just from the photos. When I went to Long Beach, and we got off the bus at Scion HQ, there was a Firestorm FR-S in the parking lot. the first picture I took is below.

Later I walked straight across the parking lot, I studied every curve, I ran my hands along the gap between the hood and the fender where it seductively rose above the tire. I noticed the roofline and the sculptured edges where it dips for "air flow" and "strength" but we all know its just to make it that much more sexy. I ran my hand along the edge of the trunk.

I knew I was in love. There was no turning back.

I bet there's a little Car Dude in every one of us. Next time you walk out to your 86, take the time to stop from 30 ft away, admire the lines, and when you walk up, run your hand over the wheel arch right in that spot where the hood line guides your hand. It's OK, its yours after all.

I'm DadHawk, and when I walk up to Olivia in a parking lot or open the garage door to say good night, I am a Car Dude.

[OrbitalEllipses]

I love reading your posts.

[bestwheelbase]

Great perspective. And wow you really could drive two FRS simultaneously and get better fuel economy than that dude's oversized Escalade. Incredible!

Edit: Or phrased another way... you could have more fun and use less gas tandem drifting two FRS rather than trying to get one Escalade to do something fun.

[Dadhawk]

Ever had one of those moments where everything seemed to come together at just the right time to give you a great few minutes of driving?

That happened to me today.

Between my house on my in-laws' house there is a stretch of old back country road that was somehow missed when the area I live in transitioned from farmland to suburbia. You know the kind of road I mean, speed limit 45, but lots of 25MPH posted double and triple curves some with decent elevation changes, nearly no traffic and no houses or driveways.

It's only about 3 miles long, but I always go out of my way to use it anytime I'm transitioning through the area.

Today I was making the trip for a mundane reason not worth going into. It's a beautiful sunny day, light shining through the trees, and as usual just as I'm about to turn left off the main road to take this short cut (OK its not really shorter) the following happens:

I slap the 6AT into manual
I downshift into the Range
and, as if on queue, (and I'm not making this up) the random song playing on the iPod switches to the first few beats of Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild".

For the next 3 miles, I'm running through the gears, taking curves at near twice their "posted" speed, light flashing through the trees. Just the road, the tire squeals, the music and me.

I was Ken Gushi filming those commercials. Yep, that was me.

The song ends just as I come to the stoplight at the end of the road and return to suburbia.

I think I'll go do it again. It almost makes it worth going to see the in-laws....

[zoomzoomers]

^ thanks for the visual! :happy0180:

[civicdrivr]

I have to say, I love reading your posts DH

[Nevermore]

Didn't want to quote it because it's a long post, but you'll know the one I mean when I say I'm most definitely more a car dude than either of the other two. I'm not ashamed to say it, though I will admit I feel pretty out of place on this site.

Edit: I just realized I used the wrong term. Now I feel bad for the like I received because my post is misleading haha I'll fix it.

[PERRIN_Chris]

That is always a good feeling. I actually take a pretty nice backroad to go to work everyday, but rarely does the traffic open enough for me to go the speed I want to go!

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Nevermore

Didn't want to quote it because it's a long post, but you'll know the one I mean when I say I'm most definitely more a car dude than either of the other two. I'm not ashamed to say it, though I will admit I feel pretty out of place on this site.

Edit: I just realized I used the wrong term. Now I feel bad for the like I received because my post is misleading haha I'll fix it.

Absolutely nothing wrong with being a "Car Dude", after all, these are the guys that 40 years from now will have the pristine stock 86s that are selling for huge numbers at the antique auctions, while the modded ones will be relegated to the used car market, or having tens of thousands of dollars poured into them to bring them back to stock.