Obviously, it is not a good idea to be playing video games projected on an open hood with the same steering wheel and pedals that are able to control the entire car. I don't know how good you are, but when I play racing games, I always seem to spend half my time hitting walls or catching air. It wouldn't exactly be the greatest thing if the car responded to my controls and ran into walls whenever I hit them in video games. To counter this point, Five Axis allowed the factory pedals to interface with the Xbox and made the stock Scion steering wheel interchangeable with the MadCatz gaming wheel.
The video projector and motorized hood were used instead of the massive Pioneer plasma TV (ala green tC) for one simple reason: In order to play games, the screen would have to be in front of the driver and the tiny xA doesn't have enough room to hold a huge 43-inch flat TV. The solution was to incorporate a video projector into the Scion and modify the hood so that it was hinged on the front end and would be motorized to flip up with the touch of a button. Another added bonus with a video projector versus a plasma TV is that, if the hood is not flipped up, the projector can display an image almost 40 feet wide on a wall 60 feet in front of the xA.
Adding to the drive-in theater experience is the extremely open-air nature of the body modifications to the Scion. Sensing the xA possessed the natural bodylines for a sheet metal reduction, Five Axis chopped the roof off of the Scion and added large openings in each side door. The xA's backseat was removed in favor of a motorized rear deck that hides all the extra electronics, including the new Xbox 360 gaming consoles, Casio projector, two 19-inch Samsung LCD monitors and a Pioneer HTP-2600 5.1 channel surround sound home theater system that uses Monster cables to reach the Pioneer AVIC D1 double-DIN navigation head unit.
Using factory CAD data, Five Axis created a template from which they could cut, mill and mold the new six-inch wider body. Completely constructed in-house in seven months time, the House of Kolor Persimmon Pearl-coated Scion xA boasts backing from some of the best in the industry. Resting on TEIN Super Street coilovers, the xA tucks 19x9.5-inch front and 19x10.5-inch rear Rays Engineering G-Games 99B wheels wrapped in 245/35/19 front and 295/35/19 rear Yokohama AVS Sport tires. 295-width tires on a Scion xA! I love it!
More an awe-inspiring show car than an actual road racer, this xA was fit with an AEM cold-air intake, DC Sports header and a Five Axis custom exhaust nonetheless. The TRD custom four-piston brake kit is also probably not going to see as much use as it was designed for, but the 328mm (12.9-inch) diameter of the rotor ensures that the right look is present for the right car. With room for only two passengers, it made perfect sense to envelop each occupant in Sparco Fighter seats and four-point, cam-lock harnesses, with Sparco pedals and an alcantara steering wheel ready for driving duties.
With their trio of wild Scion wide-body show cars now complete, Five Axis can rest assured that this is perhaps the craziest xA now in existence. With an eye-catching hue, a disgustingly well-constructed wide body, and the most immersive video game experience ever incorporated into a car, this xA is sure to become one of the Scion PR department's golden children. That is, if they ever stop playing video games inside and get out of the damn thing.
Behind The BuildName: troy sumitomoAge: old enough to have kidsHometown: irvine, caOccupation: owner, five axisHobbies: cars, diecasts, motorcyclesBuild Time: 7 monthsFeedback: troy@5axismodels.netHead to the message boards at www.importtuner.com to chat about this feature Vehicle.